You could say that Nia Vardalos—the actor, writer, executive producer, and director who introduced the masses to Greek and Greek-American culture via her My Big Fat Greek Wedding films—is most at home in the country of Greece itself. In fact, when she appeared on Zoom for her chat with Condé Nast Traveler, she called in from the rocky island of Hydra. “I realize that my bikini is literally drying on the windowsill,” she laughed about the view of her background.
Vardalos recently reunited with her fellow cast members in Greece for the third installment of the Wedding series, in theaters this week, which finds the group traveling back to the land of their heritage once again. Ahead of the new film, Vardalos spoke about the hotel amenity she cares about immensely, the list of annoying travel behaviors she abhors, and why her current stopover in Hydra is the best vacation she’s taken to date.
SAG-AFTRA members are currently on strike; as part of the strike, union actors are not promoting their film and TV projects. This interview was conducted prior to the strike.
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Her airtight packing strategy:
I'm an annoyingly organized person, which I think you have to be to direct a film. I've always been like this; it's how I get things done. I immigrated from Canada to the United States with a 72-point checklist of how I would get my green card and my citizenship. So when I'm coming to Greece, I have a very simple system: You bring six washable dresses, one black dress you can wear at night, two bathing suits, then two pairs of Birkenstocks and two pairs of dressy sandals. Then, of course, a week's worth of underwear, a pair of sneakers, socks, one pair of leggings, and one t-shirt, and you're good to go. That's all you need. Bring all of that in a very big suitcase, which allows you to buy your way through any country. If the clothes are washable—by the way, most of the islands have a place where you can just drop off your clothes and pick it back up—you can get through Greece.
Her hanger trick:
The trick I've learned from my stylist, Jessica Paster, is to save hangers from the dry cleaner, because they're lightweight. Put everything on a hanger—everything, even the leggings. Then you wrap a scarf or a hat around the top of the hangers, so they won't be too loose in your suitcase, lay them flat, and then anywhere you go you can just open your suitcase, put the hangers on the [rack], and you're done.
Her very memorable introduction to first class:
The first time I flew in “the front of the plane,” as I call it—I actually don't love the word “class,” I think they should change it to “cabin,” don’t you think?—was during My Big Fat Greek Wedding. With all the craziness that happened with that film, they flew me to Canada to have dinner with the Queen of England. That was pretty amazing. It was September of 2002, and I was in the front of the plane going, "How is this my life?!"
How she passes the time when traveling:
Krista Vernoff—she just stopped being the showrunner of Grey’s Anatomy—and I have this bond. We love to fly, because that's when we write. I just get it done. There's no distraction. If there's wifi, I don't buy it. “Just write,” is what I say to myself.
Her travel pet peeves:
People who trim their nails on a plane. People who cough without covering their mouth. Unbelievable! And I'm pretty easy going—if a kid is kicking my seat, I'm going to let that go. Because I have a kid, and that kid has kicked a seat. Children, for me, are faultless on a plane, because they're tired or their parents are sleeping. That's fine. But adults? Sometimes you just look at people like, "Wow, really?" One woman on a flight between islands in Greece had her toes between my seat and the other from behind. I felt something on my elbow—I thought it was a bug—and I looked and it was her foot touching my elbow. No, no, no!
Her favorite hotels in the world:
The Four Seasons Astir Palace in Athens, which is absolutely stunning. Got to put “palace” in your name! The Cape Sounio, a Grecotel that is on a cape in Athens facing the ancient temple of Poseidon. It is astonishing. But my absolute favorite place is the Grande Bretagne and the Athens Capital [Center Hotel] in the heart of Athens. If you want to be within walking distance of the Parthenon, you can't go wrong with those two.
A hotel amenity that matters a lot to her:
I like an oversized robe. I like to feel like I'm wrapping myself in a duvet with a sash.
A city she thinks is overlooked:
My hometown of Winnipeg is pretty spectacular. We have the Museum of Tolerance, which is incredible, and [Manitoba] museum of natural history. We have the Forks, which is a beautiful shopping area of local artisans right on the river. I happen to love my hometown. I’ve filmed many times there, as well. I think it's an underrated place that more people could visit.
The best trip she’s ever taken:
I'm going to tell you something—I think I'm on it right now. I'm in a new relationship, and it is just wonderful to travel with somebody and realize how well you get along, and how easy things are. That you can just run some conditioner through your hair and go to dinner. I'm in a very calm state, and keep saying, "Wow, I'm happy." We're on the island of Hydra, and it's just incredible.