Jamie-Lynn Sigler Shares Her Family Travel Tips — Including How She Involves Her Kids in the Packing Process

If there’s one piece of travel advice that Jamie Lynn Sigler, star of The Sopranos and co-host of the “MeSsy podcast,” wants you to hear, it’s always to expect the unexpected.

“Spills happen. Accidents happen. Always bring a change of clothes in your carry-on or personal backpack or bag for your kids,” Sigler, 43, told Travel + Leisure in a recent interview.

And even though she likes to be prepared when it comes to traveling with her husband and two kids, she let’s her sons Beau and Jack feel like their a part of the process.

“We lay out, ‘OK, here’s what we’re gonna do. What do you think you need?’ I also do that in hopes that one day my boy’s future wives will thank me,” she adds with a laugh, mentioning that she also has her boys unpack their luggage themselves.

Additionally, she has one more travel rule that’s actually for the entire family: Only pack a carry-on whenever possible. 

“I’ve tried to really [be the] perfect ‘let’s all pack everything we need in a carry-on’ family. We don’t check luggage,” she shared. “I think that makes everybody excited. It makes the planning easier.” 

And that level of preparation can also be found in Sigler’s household thanks to her Amazon Alexa.

“I love our Alexa. I can speak firsthand about the comfort and peace of mind that it’s given me and my family. Just knowing that in case of an emergency, we have a plan,” Sigler, who has partnered with Amazon to share more about the Alexa Emergency Assistance service, shared.

“The plan is as simple as calling out loud, ‘Alexa call for help.’ Because I think that you can have these emergency plans with your kids, but when that moment arises, a lot of that goes out the window. So, having the Alexa Emergency Assistance service has really empowered my children not only what to do in an emergency situation, but their decision making skills. I think that it gives them a lot of confidence and autonomy over their safety,”  she said.

On Wednesday, Amazon announced its Alexa Emergency Assist is now available on the road via the Alexa app. Users can just activate it with their voice, use the in-app SOS button, or type “Alexa, call for help” to be connected to emergency services as quickly as possible. Once connected, emergency services can see your profile details — including preloaded critical information — and your last known GPS location to send help. 

“For instance, one of my sons is highly, highly allergic to a lot of different medications. I have my own personal health stuff, and my other son has his stuff,” Sigler explained. “Just the all-around peace of mind that this can give you in an emergency situation is priceless.”

For the longtime actress though, her Alexa also functions as a mechanism for self care as the busy mom is up 45 minutes before everyone else for a quick meditation and her own morning routine.

“I’ll sit in my kitchen, just me and my Alexa, have the coffee made, get my headlines, read the weather, whatever it may be,” she said.