What Fencer Miles Chamley-Watson Is Packing for His Third Olympics
Plus he shares how he’s fighting back against barefoot travelers with wandering toes.
In this edition, American Olympic fencer Miles Chamley-Watson took some time out of his busy training schedule for the 2024 Paris Olympics to chat with Opheli Garcia Lawler about his favorite trips, packing for the Olympics, and how many miles he travels per year. Chamley-Watson is already a two-time Olympian, 2016 Olympic bronze medalist, and a Red Bull athlete.
I fly so much. I'd say the last four years I've been averaging 200,000 miles. Before that, probably 120,000 or 140,000. But the last three, four years have been pretty robust. Nonstop.
Let's start with my main job, training and competing. Our team has been flying United for the last 10 years, as an Olympic sponsor. When I'm on the plane for competitions, I have to sleep. Most of the time I can sleep before we even take off and wake up when we land. When I'm on the plane, it's all about recovery: hydrate extra, take your vitamins, all that kind of stuff. When they ask you, "Do you want a drink?" you say, "No, water."
When I'm traveling for leisure or for fun, I can sit up, watch movies. I can have some drinks, I can do what I want. It's a massive difference because I don't have to worry about adjusting to the time or jet lag. Traveling for fun is way more fun.
When it comes to where I’ve traveled, I love South Korea. I wanted to move there. It's incredible. I went to Australia for the first time to see my best friend. That was unreal. Saint Moritz is stunning. Africa was the best trip of my life, by far. I went to Kenya, Rwanda, Namibia, and Tanzania. It was life-changing. The food, the people, the energy—those four countries are at the top of my list.
This year will be my third Olympics. I'm very grateful that I've been able to go to that many already. Obviously it's a big stage, but I try not to put too much pressure on myself and I know what to expect. Luckily this year's is in Paris, and fencing is a really big sport in France, so it's going to be big for us. A couple of my sponsors are France-based, so it'll be a lot of fun and a lot of work out there.
In terms of what I'm packing, Lord have mercy. I'm going to have to send stuff I think. Oh my God, I should just get a shipping container.
Obviously you get a lot of Olympic stuff that they give you, and you wear that in the village, but I don't want to wear that when I'm walking out, just for people to stop me and say, "Oh, you're in the Olympics." It's Paris, you have to have some good outfits. And I love sunglasses too, and glasses in general. I’m definitely going to be the best dressed athlete out there.
Rapid Fire
Window, middle, or aisle seat?
Window.
Pack light or overpack?
Overpack. Minimum two bags. Because I have so many sneakers, I'm an overpacker. I'd rather have too much than too little. And I know exactly how much it has to weigh, so I'm the king packer.
What's your top travel packing tip, then?
I always pack a T-shirt, then a shoe, T-shirt, shoe, so the bag almost expands. There's no lost space. I can fit about six on the bottom layer of the bag. And I got the other side of the bag, which is the mesh side for your underwear and stuff. But no, more shoes there. I'm awesome at packing.
How many shoes are you traveling with on average, typically?
Five to six at least. And they're all brand new, which means you're going to have to also think about creasing. That's very stressful.
What's your opinion on going barefoot on airplanes?
Barefoot, if you have nice feet, I guess. If you wear flip-flops I guess, I understand it. But—oh my god—one time, bare feet were poking out beside me. I dropped tea on their feet. It wasn't like scalding hot tea, but I had tea, and I felt like something was there and I was like, "Oh no."
What's your biggest travel fear?
Travel fear? That I'm not making it in one piece. No, I have no travel fears. I had the cutest little old woman flying back from Bahrain to Dubai two years ago. And the plane seating was set up where it's two and two. She was a little older and you could tell she didn't like flights. She was super stressed and she almost grabbed me. I was like, "Don't worry sweetheart, I got you." And I got her.
Do you have any tips for fighting jet lag?
My nutritionist would tell me that the food... I don't know if it's the plane food, but it messes up your jet lag and also your stomach. I bring my own snacks. I love snacks, I'll bring them on the plane with me and then I'll eat them on the plane.
What are your favorite snacks?
How much time do you have? Dried mango, dried pineapple. Those are good. I love those SweeTARTS ropes. I've been doing red licorice a lot. I love Sahale nuts, they cost like $20 in the airport. I smash those.
Must-have travel items
My packing list starts with Nike compression socks. That's a must. Recovery.
I bring this essential oil lavender mist. That calms me down, helps me get in the mode.
I have a seven-foot charger, a long one. I hate when you’ve got to bend, you have to be on this angle and lean forward to hold your phone while it’s on the charger.
I normally bring some Normatec boots on the plane, travel ones. Those are the best.
I always pack mouthwash. You don't want to brush your teeth all the time, but you always want fresh breath. So just a little swish and then fresh breath.
Opheli Garcia Lawler is a Senior Staff Writer at Thrillist. She holds a bachelor's and master's degree in Journalism from NYU's Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute. She's worked in digital media for eight years, and before working at Thrillist, she wrote for Mic, The Cut, The Fader, Vice, and other publications. Follow her on Twitter @opheligarcia and Instagram @opheligarcia.