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Inside the Carry-On: Chelsey Crisp

The star of ABC’s hit comedy Fresh Off the Boat shares travel essentials & spills about her dreamy honeymoon

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Chelsey Crisp is a Phoenix native turned California college graduate, and a professional at traversing the hills of Los Angeles. But ultimately it’s some of the world’s most beautiful shorelines that call to the actress on her minimal time off from shooting ABC’s comedic hit, Fresh Off the Boat. Following the show’s third season premiere and a tropical honeymoon with husband and screenwriter Rhett Reese, Crisp’s life as a newlywed certainly doesn’t show any signs of slowing down.

Fresh Off the Boat has garnered acclaim not just for its comedic chops that have propelled Crisp and fellow actors like Constance Wu and Randall Park to the forefront of television’s lineup, but also for its whip smart take on the topical theme of visibility. Of course the show’s success isn’t lost on Crisp. In fact, being on a network sitcom has allowed Crisp to realize the dream she set her sights on from the very beginning of her career. “It’s my dream job,” she explained, “and it’s sort of icing on the cake that it’s also just a really good show, which I’m really grateful for.” Crisp is also grateful for such a positive work environment, especially with such a demanding shoot schedule. After all, it’s imperative that an actor’s life on set is as fun as the content they portray, and that’s exactly what goes on behind the scenes of FOTB. “I think that now by the third season it really does start to feel like a family,” Crisp added, “It’s like a school year– you go away for the summer and when you get back the kids are getting older.” 

It also helps that the show was especially understanding when it came time for Crisp’s wedding in Phoenix, and then for her dream worthy honeymoon cruise to destinations like Tahiti and Bora Bora. As a seasoned traveller Crisp found a similar wanderlust in Reese, and together the pair finds time whenever they can to visit old favorites as well as to discover new ones. And although Crisp identifies as a beachgoer while her husband may be more inclined the play the tourist, the two strike a perfect balance whenever they can. As Crisp relayed, “Any little window of time that we get, we’re hopping on a plane.” The two usually create a flexible itinerary, but they always leave room for spontaneity. After all, half the fun of vacation is the luxury of time and freedom from their meticulously planned L.A. schedules.

As for Crisp’s go-to travel item, it’s no wonder that the “very Irish and quite pale” actress who counts Kauai as her favorite destination simply swears by a bottle of sunscreen. In reality, as Crisp playfully revealed, “on the show I’m fully body painted and spray tanned so that I look tan.” Crisp continued, “Actually, I had a spray tan from work when we left for our honeymoon and over the course of our trip I was the only person in Tahiti that was getting paler.” Like all of the items inside Crisp’s carry-on, the sunscreen is vegan and cruelty-free. As she explained, “I’m mostly vegan. I wish I could say 100 percent, but I try really hard with my amenities and clothing as well.” A tasty example includes another one of Crisp’s must-haves, Chimes Ginger Chews, which she uses for motion sickness on flights and boat trips. 

Her greatest travel tip, though, is an advanced notice Crisp gives to anyone who might spot her and Reese on a flight. “I always have an eye mask and earplugs on because it’s really hard for me to sleep on a plane,” she explained. “So if we are on a plane together I always look like a crazy person, completely bundled up in a coat, ears covered, leaning against the window. Rhett thinks it’s hilarious.”

Main Image: John Tsiavis

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