Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson on His Love for Hawaii and Must-pack Travel Accessories

We sat down with actor and frequent flier Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson for his travel advice.

Even the most active travelers would have a hard time keeping up with Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson these days. As one of the world's highest-paid actors, Johnson is seemingly on set around the clock — on location everywhere from Atlanta to Oahu, and on red carpets from London to Los Angeles. You can also find him in the highlands of Jalisco, Mexico, where he has been building a new tequila brand, Teremana. Clearly, the mega-celeb is accumulating his fair share of frequent flier miles. And, it turns out, he's picked up some worthwhile advice along the way.

Travel + Leisure (virtually) sat down with the "Red Notice" star while he was taking a rare break in Hawaii. Below, he shares some thoughts on his beloved home state as well as must-have travel accessories, from face masks to fanny packs.

T+L: Tell us about your connection to Hawaii?

Dwayne Johnson: "There's no place like these islands. They are alive. And the mana is real — it's strong and powerful. You get lost in time when you're over here. In New York and L.A., it's a nonstop treadmill. But you come out here and you just lose track of time. I'm a big evangelist when it comes to talking about aloha spirit and what that means."

And to you it's home?

"It's always good to come back home. And I love bringing people here — family and friends — who have never been and watching them react when they get off the plane. Because it's a real thing: the mana hits you, the aloha hits you, the spirit hits you. When you come down here and you unplug, you have a different energy, drive, and motivation — all pulling from different sources."

So it's not just a coincidence, then, that you're always filming out there?

"I've reached a nice point in my career where I can strongly recommend we film in Hawaii [laughs]. It's great for the crew. It's a great way to give back to the local economy. So, yeah, I've done many movies here. I love to bring as much production here as I can. Hawaii has also been exceptional in how they've handled COVID."

Related:7 Destinations in Hawaii Where the Locals Love to Go

If you had to choose a favorite Hawaiian island, which would it be?

"My preferred island is Oahu because I spent so much time growing up here."

You obviously spend a lot of time in the air. Are there any self-care rituals that keep you feeling fresh when you get off the plane?

"Lip hydration. It's super dry on the plane and no one wants dry, ashy lips."

A lot of frequent fliers find the fanny pack particularly practical.

"I've always been a fanny pack advocate. People underestimate how cool the fanny pack actually is. The whole idea of it got [messed] up when that picture surfaced of me with my turtleneck and fake silver jewelry, with a tissue underneath my arm because I didn't want to get the turtleneck dirty. It created a bad legend for the fanny pack. But it wasn't the fanny pack that was the problem, it was everything else [in that picture] that was the problem.

So, I always try to tell fans this, especially fans of pro-wrestling: Every superstar — Stone Cold Steve Austin, Triple H, the Undertaker, you name it — had a fanny pack."

It's an accessory that's especially conspicuous. And yet the necessary travel accessory of today — the face mask— is one that maybe lets you enjoy some precious anonymity, correct?

"I realized, I can put on a hat, mask, and long sleeves, and go out. I've been rocking the mask, hat, and glasses, slumping my shoulders…We take walks [in public]. It's the best!"

So, even out there in your home state you can blend in these days?

"This is impossible in Hawaii. But we went to the mall. I hadn't been to a mall since I was 26 years old when I started wrestling as 'The Rock' in the WWE. The mall was great [laughs]."

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