Hedley & Bennett Founder Ellen Bennett Reveals Her Dream Travel Destinations

Globetrotters with a long list of places they've been usually have an even longer list of places they want to go. We asked Ellen Bennett, founder and creative director of beloved apron company Hedley and Bennett, about the far-flung places she's itching to visit next.

I like to travel to places I've never been before, and especially to places where the culture, architecture, food, and lifestyle are as different as possible from my own. I recently made my way through Iceland. And while icebergs and Northern Lights were the main draw, I found just as much inspiration in the shape of the mountains, in the light bouncing around ice caves, and in the packaging fonts that make grocery shopping a treat. I try to experience places like a local, so I hang out in coffee shops, pull up a bar stool at the tiny hole-in-the-wall place frequented by old guys, get on a boat with fisherman, and live through their eyes. For me that's what travel is all about: soaking up another culture.

I'M DYING TO GO

1. Thailand
It's freaking amazing, tropical, beautiful, and so green! It's also such a drastic culture change, and I love traveling to places where that is a component. When you are completely out of your comfort zone, you have to be a little more courageous than usual.
Start here: From Rabbit Holes to Flower Markets, How to Do Bangkok Like a Designer

2. India
The amount of color over there makes my brain explode with creative ideas. I want to run through the streets, ride rickshaws, eat everything, visit spice shops, go to fabric dying and wash houses. It's out of control and I want to be exposed to all of it.
Start here: Fathom's India Guide

3. The Amazonian Rainforest
Ever since I was a little kid, I've dreamed about going up and down the crazy rivers that intertwine with one another through the rainforest, to be surrounded by all that wildlife and vegetation. It's life on steroids in there, a good reminder of how big the world is.
Start here: No Touching Tarantulas Without Supervision in the Peruvian Amazon

On a recent trip to Cuba.

I CAN'T WAIT TO GO BACK

1. Cuba
Cuba is one of those magical places where you feel like you've been shuttled into the past. It was so incredibly colorful, everyone was kind and wanted to engage. It was a tremendous contrast to my life in the States, and I loved that it made me appreciate my home life even more. 
Start here: Fathom's Cuba Guide

2. Hong Kong
I would love to go back to Hong Kong for an eating adventure with a local. (I went with my very pro-Starbucks dad last time and wasn't able to fully indulge in the food culture.) The city was fast-paced and dense and yet everything seemed to flow smoothly. 
Start here: Fathom's Hong Kong Guide

BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE

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