Led by their swimwear label We Are Handsome, husband and wife duo Katinka and Jeremy Somers can confidently tick both the travelling for pleasure and travelling for business boxes.
Katinka and Jeremy Somers should wake up each morning safe in the knowledge that they are indeed living the dream. Combining an unwavering love of travel with their craft as swimwear designers was surely a stroke of genius. With their swim and activewear label We Are Handsome packed to-go, the pair spend a good chunk of their time beaching and pooling it up in enviable locations around the world.
To find out how she does it, we asked Katinka to unpack a few of her travel tips.
Tell us a little about you. Where are you from, where are you going, what do you do for work and play, and what’s your favourite flavour of ice cream?
Born and raised in South Africa, I’ve lived in Australia for the past 10 years. The next part of my journey will be a move to Los Angeles this year. I am the Managing Director and Style Designer of We Are Handsome. For play, I love hours in the Janechen, gardening, painting and hanging out with my dogs. All flavours of ice cream are the best, but my absolute favourite is Mint Choc Chip.
Why do you travel?
Travel is woven into the fibres of my being. I am an explorer and can’t help forever planning an adventure! We travel for work and play.
Is travel a big part of your job, or do you make time for it outside of your career?
Absolutely. We travel to exotic beach side destinations for work but for play we spend our time on Safari, or on a snowboard. As much as I love my home and the downtime that it brings, I love exploring our world a little more. I thrive on the adventure and new flavours, interactions and experiences.
What’s your go-to travel hack?
Ilike to make the time spent on a plane the cosiest and so I always have a travel pack with my creature comforts ready to go.
Got any gear you can’t travel without?
I’m a lightweight traveler but must haves are my camera and asthma pump. Ha! The first, to relive and savour all the moments along the way, and the second, well because there’s no way I can survive without it!
What are the top 3 destinations left on your bucket list?
Russia! Rio De Janeiro! Antartica!
Where would you go back to?
Africa! Maldives! Japan!
What do you do to stay healthy when you travel?
We’re a VERY active pair and so most of our travel involves heaps of activity. Even when we’re shooting I’ll indulge in a Yoga practice, or work out at the hotel gym, or go for a run through the streets. My favourite city to run in is Paris as it’s waking up!
How do you stay safe when you’re travelling?
Take care to ensure you’re not being too touristy! Try and blend in to the local scene, perhaps skip the total touristy thing and do something that only a native might do.
What’s the best way to experience a destination like a local?
Research is your friend, there are so many great places to glean insight, I always start by checking in with friends who’ve been to the destination and then turn to the wealth of travel sites out there. It’s also really important that you do things that you would do in your hometown. We like to pack a picnic and spend a lazy afternoon in a local park – or hire bikes and bike the city. You’ll really get a sense of local life this way.
What’s your favourite word in another language?
Wasuremono in Japanese. It’s the thing you’ve left behind.
How has travel changed in your lifetime and how will it change over the next 25 years?
It is so much easier to explore the world. You can book a trip to Timbuktu from the comfort of your couch at 10PM on a Monday night if you so wished! It’s going to become even easier to create your experience and it will also become cheaper. Sadly this will be at the cost of a homogenisation of the cultures of our world and also a skew to touristy versions of destinations. My advice is to get in quick!
When and where are you next travelling?
China for business and then Los Angeles – for work and a bit of play with our friends over there.
