In a recent interview, Octavia Spencer shared insight into the type of traveler she is and what travel essentials she can’t jet-set without. Known for her roles in The Help, Ma, Hidden Figures, and other Hollywood hits, the Oscar-winning actress spoke to Thrillist about her travel tidbits. Spencer shared that she’s an overpacker who always takes extra underwear and socks when going away from home. Her other travel essentials included bug repellent – especially for summer travel – as well as moisturizers and candles. Regarding the latter, the movie star said she likes having candles, that way she “can always bring a little bit of home” with her.

Another thing Spencer admitted she can’t travel without is her snacks. The actress, a star in Amazon Prime Video’s forthcoming action show Ride or Die, explained, “You also need snacks because you don’t know how late or how early it’s going to be when you land. You don’t know if you’re going to be delayed in transit. So you want to be able to have water and some nuts. I also like salami – anything you can nosh on in case you’re delayed.”

Booked and busy, Spencer noted that she tries to travel with reading material, as it’s “the only time” she can spare to read “these days.” The last book she delved into was Tina Knowles’ Matriarch, although she noted a fondness for children’s books, which she feels keeps her connected to her nieces and nephews.

Funnily enough, she shared that the weirdest thing airport security has stopped her from traveling with is her Theragun body massager, which she said “actually looks like a gun.”

“When I first started taking it, they stopped me every time,” she said of the massage tool. “So now I just take it out of the bag and put it into the tray. It’s great, you can just sit and rub your shoulders with it while you’re on the flight.”

While on the plane, Spencer said she likes to “decompress” from her hectic schedule, if she can. One of the ways she chooses to do so is to catch up on movies she hasn’t seen yet. However, once she’s back on the ground, she takes proactive steps to combat jet lag. Notably, ahead of her interview, the actress had hopped off an across-the-Atlantic flight from Prague.

Spencer said, “The thing I like to make sure of is that, if it’s daylight where I land, I try to stay up no matter how long I’ve been awake. You have to stay up and you have to drink a lot of water. I take a very strong vitamin C and eat a lot of kiwi just to keep everything bright and also hydrated – that way you don’t feel so hungover. Right now I’m feeling a little hungover. I’m not as bad as I could be, but I am definitely feeling that trans-Atlantic flight.”