Gavin Casalegno on His Biohacking Essentials, the Most Romantic Destination, and Where Jeremiah Would Go in Paris

For The Summer I Turned Pretty star Gavin Casalegno, 2025 was “The Year He Traveled the World.” His Instagram followers have jetted alongside him as he’s hopped from chic nights out during Paris Fashion Week to gritty subway stations in New York City and all the moments in between, whether it’s wandering the streets of London and Copenhagen or hanging at hotels in Hawaii and Bali. 

“I genuinely think I’ve been more at airports than I have in my own bed,” the 26-year-old actor told Travel + Leisure. “It’s a blessing, and I’m super happy about it.” 

Whether his adventures take him near or far, he always packs an enthusiasm for exploration, as he shared when calling us from the thoroughbred racing culminating championship, the Breeders’ Cup, held earlier this month in Del Mar, California. 

“This was not my bingo card for this year, so I’m super excited,” the Dallas-born actor said, especially taken by the classy fashion in the stands. “I feel like I’m going back in time to a ballroom or a crazy extravaganza. It’s been so fun to see all the hats and everyone looking so nice.”

Gavin and Cheyanne Casalegno attend the 2025 Breeders’ Cup World Championships at Del Mar Race Track on November 1, 2025 in Del Mar, California.

Vivien Killilea/Getty Images for Breeders’ Cup

With Gavin Casalegno

Best hack for jet lag?
It’s not really a hack, just life advice, but I always prepare the day before. So if I’m traveling home from like Thailand to Los Angeles, and it’s a 15-hour time difference, I would stay up on the plane as much as I can to get to a decent time in LA, and then sleep so I can be on the same schedule back at home. That has been my saving grace. And staying hydrated. That’s a big one, too.

Most unusual thing you always pack?
I’m super into biohacking, so I pack all my health essentials, like a red light box and massage gun—it’s so awesome when you’re getting off a flight and your legs feel sore, intense, and jello-like.

Favorite plane snack?
Fruits and yogurts. I’m a big natural sweets guy. And this is going to be such a hot take, but I am such a fan of beef jerky. It’s the perfect travel snack, minus how horrible the smell is. When my wife travels with me, and she’s like, “Bruh, that thing is so loud, you have to put that away.” But you need your protein!

The Summer I Turned Pretty castmate who’s the best travel buddy?
Rain [Spencer] is pretty fun. You’ll never be bored with Rain. Lola [Tung] is the most prepared. She would have everything in her bag. Sean [Kaufman] is such fun company. He’s just this sweet little angel boy. Getting to travel with him is fun.

Where would Jeremiah hang out in Paris? 
There’s an underground jazz bar where everyone’s jamming to classic music, dancing and in love. That’s where Jeremiah would be, for sure.

Earlier this year, he spent eight weeks on the other side of the globe in Thailand while he was filming the upcoming Amazon MGM Studios movie “The Devil’s Mouth.” 

“Getting to live in Thailand for a couple months was super sick,” he said, detailing that he was in Bangkok for a month with a couple of weeks each in Krabi and Chiang Mai. “Traveling and experiencing other cultures and languages is the best way to learn about people and the world.”

He also had the privilege of having the locals he worked with double as his guides, taking him to their favorite restaurants and ordering all the traditional dishes. “Dude, the pad thai was to die for—it was so good,” he exclaimed, adding that he was also a fan of the fried fish.

Of course, another destination he’s immersed himself in is North Carolina, where he filmed three seasons of TSITP as (spoiler alert!) the lovelorn Jeremiah Fisher. Much of the time was spent around Wilmington, where he frequented “top-notch” Social Coffee, as well as Casa Blanca and Pipeline Poke. He was also mesmerized by the campus of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, which was “stunning, and hanging out with all the college kids was really fun.”

From left: Lola Tung, Gavin Casalegno, Christopher Briney, Sean Kaufman and Rain Spencer from Amazon’s The Summer I Turned Pretty.

Erika Doss/Amazon

But by far, the most amazing place he traveled for the show was actually part of a secret mission for TSITP book series author and show producer Jenny Han. Since eager fans scoured every detail for Easter eggs as to whether his character Jeremiah or Christopher Briney’s Conrad would end up with the title character Belly, played by Lola Tung, a decoy trip was planned.

“When Jenny called and asked, ‘Hey, do you want to film a fake scene just to throw suspicious sniffs off?’ I was like, ‘A free trip to Paris? Absolutely yes!’” he said.

While Casalegno got to spend much of his time just enjoying Paris, he did actually go on set to film a fake scene. “I was running down the street yelling ‘Belly’ just to make people look at me and start taking videos and stuff like that,” he said. “It was a very rare scenario, but I had a blast.”

Gavin in Paris and with wife Cheyanne while vacationing in Copenhagen.

Gavin Casalegno @gavincasalegno

In real life, Casalengo isn’t calling anyone’s name in the streets except for his wife, Cheyanne Casalegno, with whom he celebrated their one-year anniversary this month. The couple have grown accustomed to life on the road together, despite their opposite ways of settling in.

“If we’re there longer than four or five days, I will unpack completely,” he said. “My wife, on the other hand, just keeps everything in a suitcase.”

But they do agree on always integrating hotel workouts into their stays “especially because so many of them have nice gyms.” Plus, their first order of business upon arrival is always the same.

“We usually order room service the second we get into the hotel,” he said. “I’m a big fan of sweet potato fries. Quite frankly, that’s really how I rank hotels, whether they have good fries. Also, if their mini bar has a wide variety of good, healthy snacks, I’m like, ‘Oh snap! This is cream-of-the-crop bougie.’ That’s where it’s at!”

Two of his all-time favorite stays are, appropriately, both in the City of Love. “I got to stay at Shangri-La Paris. That was divine. It was wild—I felt like royalty,” he said. “Mandarin Oriental Lutetia, Paris is also a really cool, super nice hotel with an underground pool. They’ve got great food and a lot of live music—and good mini bar snacks and fries!”

Personal travel photos of Gavin while on his honeymoon in the Maldives and visiting Bali.

Gavin Casalegno @gavincasalegno

But of course, his most romantic travel memory was his and Cheyanne’s honeymoon to the Maldives. “The water was so pretty, the weather was so nice,” he mused of staying in an over-water bungalow. “The Maldives are seriously one of the most beautiful places on Earth. So getting to go there with someone that you love is highly recommended.”