How I Travel: Poet Joy Harjo Plays Sax in Her Hotel Room

"I have all my cords. I've learned not to pack any cords in my checked suitcase. I have a laptop. I used to pack a lot of books, but now I buy the hard copy, and get a version on Kindle and carry that. I'll put all the New Yorkers that I'm behind on reading. Of course, I have the money, makeup, phone, credit cards. I keep paper and pens, as I often sketch or write. I always have a notebook."

"I'll put all the New Yorkers that I'm behind on reading. Of course, I have the money, makeup, phone, credit cards. I keep paper and pens, as I often sketch or write. I always have a notebook. Sometimes I'll put a few rocks in there, just different stones I like. I love rocks. One time, I was somewhere with one of my granddaughters and she had a little purse. We laid out the contents of our bags, and they were very similar. We both had stones!"

Joy Harjo developed a deep love of travel in childhood, sparked by early airline trips when her father worked for American Airlines. Travel and motion prompt memory-capture and creative work, with written notes and sketches forming part of her process. Carry-on items regularly include cords, a laptop, Kindle versions of books, money, makeup, phone, credit cards, paper, pens, and a notebook, and she sometimes carries small stones; another bag often holds a musical instrument. Travel experiences include canoe races in Polynesia, drinking tequila in Venice, and encounters with hotel ghosts. Joy Harjo has been named U.S. poet laureate three times.

Read at Conde Nast Traveler