What is your communication like with your customers? How do you respond to their feedback?
JEN RUBIO: It’s the foundation of our business! Before we even launched, we spoke with hundreds of travelers (potential customers!) to understand what they might want out of a suitcase. We used that feedback to design The Carry-On, and we haven’t stopped listening since.
One of the biggest benefits of our direct-to-consumer model is that we’re able to maintain a constant feedback loop, which means we can react in real-time to give our community what they’re asking for. We’ve prioritized listening to their feedback as a primary driver for considering the business’ next steps—they’re helping to inform which products we create next!
You grew up traveling the world, and you’ve lived in several places—in New York and London most recently. What are your favorite places in the world, and what destinations are next on your bucket list?
JEN RUBIO: My favorite place in the world is Tofino, British Columbia. I have a serious love for the Pacific Northwest (I recently wrote a love letter to Vancouver for Here), and Tofino is like a small slice of heaven on earth for me. After that, my favorites include Cape Town, South Africa and Palawan in the Philippines.
Next on my list are Namibia and the Faroe Islands—both are beautiful places that I’ve been meaning to visit for far too long!
I travel a lot, and am currently on the road/plane for the next couple of months. A lot of my friends wish they could travel more but never do because they don’t have time or it’s too expensive. What would you say to them?
JEN RUBIO: I know that I’m incredibly lucky because my role at Away requires me to travel and regularly takes me to so many amazing places, and I also know this isn't the case for most people. But if you’re like me and love to travel, there are a few tricks I’ve learned that can help you make the most out of mixing travel with your busy lifestyle. If you’re traveling for work, try to add an extra day or two at the beginning or end of the trip to explore and experience the area. Websites like The Points Guy can help you find last-minute travel deals; if you’re looking for hidden gems and the best things to do in different cities, magazines (like Here!) can help you discover those. I’d also say embrace day trips! For me, that might mean taking a morning train to a town in upstate New York—meaningful travel doesn’t have to cost a lot of time or money.
Of course you must travel with Away luggage, what are other products that you wouldn’t travel without?
JEN RUBIO: I always travel with at least two pairs of headphones—Bose noise cancelling ones for drowning out a range of disruptive plane sounds, and Apple AirPods for taking crystal clear calls no matter where you are. If you’re heading somewhere where you don’t speak the language, I’d also highly recommend the Ili translator. It’s small, works offline, and its one-way translation allows you to speak into the device and play back an accurate, fast translation. Supplements are also great for keeping your immune system in check, and I’m a big fan of Four Sigmatic Chaga Elixir because they make individual packs that are easy to throw in your bag and mix with water or whatever liquid you have on hand. Lastly, I always pack a hydrating mist because air travel is incredibly dehydrating for your skin. Right now I’m loving Aesop Hydrosol Immediate Moisture spray.
What are your go-to recommendations for entertainment while you’re on the move? Books, podcasts?
JEN RUBIO: I take The Great Courses audio classes—the last one I did was a 20-part course on classic mythology. For podcasts, I can’t get enough of NPR’s How I Built This and Sophia Amoruso’s Girlboss Radio. It’s always interesting to hear about other entrepreneurs’ journeys, since no two are the same!
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Check out the Away Collection, and get inspired through their Instagram, magazine, Here, and podcast, Airplane Mode.