Bulletin Board 11

A travel-themed post

I’m writing from Greece, where I’m at the start of a family vacation. Being on the road again after having decamped to the Maison Médoc HQ for most of the summer, has made me pay more attention to some of my packing/travel habits and essentials. Also, a new-ish app that I’ve signed up for that means you don’t have to DM me for my favorites in Rome, London, and Paris, and more locations coming soon. Signing out for a couple of weeks but will be back in the full newsletter swing on September 9.

The Best Jacket for Travel

Years ago I got this double breasted jacket from Ring, made with their proprietary fabric called Balloon—100% jersey wool woven in Japan. It has proven to be one of the best travel jackets ever—an open weave cloth that is lightweight, comfortable, and virtually wrinkle-proof. This jacket has spent hours folded up in luggage and unpacks nearly perfectly every time. I use it as a three season piece—but it gets most of its play in the summer when I’m on the road. My unlined DB is in a dark navy that pairs well with just about everything—from grey flannels to white denim. I’ll wear it with a collared shirt and knit tie, or simply with a Bretagne striped t-shirt.

Left: In action here in Greece Right: My buddy Stephon Carson wearing one in olive

Travel Intel

I love hearing from you, so don’t get me wrong here—but when I get asked for where to go in my DMs, I can usually only supply one place, because it just takes a lot of time. I’ve written about some of my favorites in Rome in this post, and London go-tos here. After Yolanda kept telling me how the AmiGo app was super helpful and complimentary to what we do on our social and in our newsletters, I decided to give it a go—doing guides on Rome, London, and Paris. What I like the most about this app is its map and planning functions—so if you’re in London it can show you my suggestions based on where you are, and if you’re planning a trip to Paris, you can see my favorites, and put what you like from my list into your own. It’s free— all you need to do is download the app and use my invite code wmbrown to access it.

My Dopp Kit

On my latest podcast with my Blamo! I talked about my rugby ball sized dopp kit that contains everything but the kitchen sink. The reality is, it’s more first aid meets grooming kit. Besides the basic toothbrush, toothpaste, comb, razor and shaving cream, here’s the breakdown of my musts to bring along so I don’t have to worry about finding a pharmacy (or a doctor’s prescription). Don’t judge me—I honestly have needed all this stuff multiple times on trips, and I will never be undergeared without them…just in case!

Here it goes: antibiotics and cream, anti-inflammatorie and cream, anti-viral, antihistamines and cream, anti-fungal cream, hydrocortisone, Vitamin B/C, probiotics, body powder, ISDIN moisturizer, eye cream, foot cream, Biafin cream, waterproof band aids, Compeed band aids, Pure Essential muscle/joint roll on, facial sunscreen SPF30, aloe vera gel, charcoal tablets, Pepto Bismol, extra contacts, saline, contact solution, and insect repellent with DEET!

Feeds for thought

And finally, in keeping with the travel theme here are some travelers I’m inspired by:

Chris Wallace, author of the latest book about Peter Beard and a longtime friend—he’s always on the road in the best shape and best style.

Travel tips and opinions from my good friend David Coggins on The Contender

Obviously my wife’s Yolo Intel newsletter!

Essentials

I have teamed up with Nakano knives again to produce an exclusive Wm Brown knife set. This set of three stainless steel knives are made in Japan with mahogany handles and are tried and true, tested by me in the kitchen. They are great knives made in a limited edition and are priced right. They pair well with my new cookbook (available for preorder—comes out Sept 26!) A Man and His Kitchen and my soon to be released knife roll from Wolf—stand by!