Robert Herjavec may be an expert at negotiating contracts on a boardroom, but when he's on the road, he might as well be considered a family travel expert.
The entrepreneur and investor, famous for his role in the hit ABC series Shark Aquarium, is married and the father of five children (including two young twins). Together, his crew frequently travels abroad, which has led Herjavec to adopt some nifty travel hacks to keep them busy on long plane rides, and luckily, he's shared a few of them with Travel + Leisure.
“Take a small toy or activity and give it to the kids every hour and a half,” Herjavec told T+L. “It breaks a long journey into sections and gives them something to look forward to.”
And as you would expect for a successful business executive, Herjavec is always prepared in case things don't go exactly as planned during a trip.
“Always have an iPad with headphones. With kids, have a backup of everything!,” Herjavec advised, sharing that “our last flight to Australia, the entertainment system didn't work on a 15-hour flight.”
With Robert Herjavec
Best packing tip?
Never check your luggage.
Window seat or aisle seat?
Driveway, for easy access to the bathroom and more space.
Favorite destinations?
Bora Bora and Capri, Italy. They are both as beautiful as a postcard. For business travel, I love New York, it's true what they say “if you can make it there, you can make it anywhere”.
A technological item you can't travel without?
Apple AirPods and movies downloaded from Netflix
Ultimate dream vacation?
New Zealand. My wife is from Australia and (Australians) tend to visit New Zealand. We want to go there and explore.
When it comes to combating jet lag, the Shark tank The star says that whenever he lands in a new city, he immediately “immerses” himself in his new time zone, a travel tip he actually practiced during our chat, which took place at 5 a.m. , Sydney time, Australia.
“I’m a workaholic, I worked 14-hour flights, it’s rare that I have downtime,” he emphasizes.
When it comes to family time, the Herjavec family has maintained a busy travel schedule in recent months, including spring skiing at Discovery Land Company's Yellowstone Club and visiting Mickey Mouse at Disney's Aulani Resort in Honolulu, Hawaii.
He also recently traveled to Las Vegas for a U2 concert at the newly opened Sphere, which he described as “breathtaking” and “a next level of entertainment.” (And also told T+L that his travel music tastes include Shania Twain and Luke Combs.)
For Herjavec, traveling has helped him increase his personal success and encourages more people to get out and see the world, he shared.
“One of the greatest educations that people give up is traveling the world and meeting other incredible human beings,” he said.
