‘Drag Race’ Icon Alyssa Edwards Needs One Entire Suitcase Just for Her Hair

I feel like I should have my own little suite at the airport at this point. I do feel like I live out of a bag at times, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything. I love all of this. My world is my work—my art; I shouldn’t even say my work. I should say my art and my heart. That’s what it is. And I get to travel the world sharing my art with people in unexpected places.

Traveling for work is so interesting because even though it is work, I have learned so much about myself and about my artistry. I think each and every time I go to a city, or get in front of a mirror and put on makeup, or step on a stage in front of a crowd, I challenge myself and I learn and grow. I get to learn from the queens in each city and the people that I meet along the way. I feel like Dorothy; I’m going down the yellow brick road and I’m meeting so many people and characters.

One of my favorite places I’ve ever traveled for drag is Guam. They don’t get a lot of queens there. I’ve been twice now, and both times, the people were so kind and receptive. They were so grateful to have queens come and perform for them and they just celebrated iit. That’s the power of drag. That’s what it does to people.

Outside of drag, my favorite place to go is Disney. My partner and I are both huge Disney lovers and nerds. I definitely believe that Disney World is the happiest, most magical place in the world—besides the RuPaul’s Drag Race Werk Room of course.

Rapid fire

Window, middle, or aisle seat?

I always pick the window seat. Sometimes I’ll rest my head against the wall, but really, I just love to look out. I’m one of seven children, and as kids, we didn’t get to travel. We did not have the funds or resources to go on vacation. My very first time on a plane was a high school graduation gift from my uncle. And now I get to travel year-round for work. We often talk about the power of drag and here it is: all the people that I’ve met, the places I’ve seen. So now when I fly, I love to look out the window and think to myself that this is what dreams are made of.

Pack light or overpack?

I’m a true southern gal—I think my hair needs its own bag! Then the clothes need their own bag. And then Justin needs his own bag. So yes, I do overpack.

Favorite way to pass time on a plane?

If I’m on tour, I try to sleep. I need to get as much shut-eye as possible. I also like to journal on a plane. I would say, for the most part, flying is my time to decompress and just preserve my energy. Because when that plane lands, it’s go time.

Biggest travel fear?

Wasting time. I’m a true Capricorn, so my biggest travel fear is wasting time. When an airline loses my bags, I’m like, “Oh my gosh, this is a delay, a kink in the schedule.” And then I have to problem solve quickly and I always think to myself, “This was really not what I wanted for today.”

At this point in my life, I don’t know if I have a lot of other fears. I would say I’m pretty fearless. And you know what? Sometimes you just have to face fear head-on. I overcame a lot to become who I am today. So it’s like, “I got this. I’m in control of this vehicle.”

Best tip for fighting jet lag?

I’m going back to Australia, and I remember we were putting together the schedule and my team was telling me that I’m really good at handling jet lag. I can land the day before and just jump on stage. I’ve learned to just get ahead of it. I get on the plane and I take Benadryl. I’m such a lightweight and Benadryl will knock me out for eight hours. I can literally take a Benadryl, wake up as the plane lands, and I’ll sit up and go, “Okay, where are we going? What are we doing?”

Favorite travel snack?

My favorite snack on a plane is Chex Mix, I’ll just snack on that. Normally, I have the biggest sweet tooth. In fact, sometimes I dream that I’m in a Mrs. Baird’s factory. Y’all want to know where the back rolls came from? Mrs. Baird’s honey buns, cupcakes, pecan swirls. I really have a huge sweet tooth. In the airport, I used to stop at the Cinnabon religiously. But I’ve had to stop. I have PTSD from season five, back rolls. So now, on the plane, I go salty and reach for the Chex Mix.

Go-to drink order on a plane?

I like champagne. When we take off, I always get champagne in those little plastic cups, just a little shot of champagne. It feels like when I was watching movies as a kid, and I saw those people on planes and I thought to myself, “Oh my gosh, they’re so wealthy!” And that was the dream, getting on an airplane and having champagne.

Must-have travel items

The first thing I pack when traveling is a good attitude. When preparing to travel, first you have to be in a good headspace. We’re going on vacation, we’re excited!