What was your all-time greatest trip and what made it so special?
I think it was probably a safari to Kenya when I was 11. Although I had travelled a lot already, it was the first time I had been in the middle of nowhere in Africa and I was just blown away by the animals and the simplicity of it all. More recently, I went on a trip to Tokyo with the Stones. We were there for about four weeks and between gigs I got really into the idea of slow tourism: staying in one place so that you really get to explore it properly. That changed the way I travel. Since then, I’ve been to Cuba five times and I’ve only left Havana once.
Which is your favourite hotel and what makes it so great?
I would always choose to be sleeping on a J-Class yacht somewhere in the world, but in terms of hotels, Le Sirenuse on the Amalfi Coast in Italy is a great place. It’s laid back and effortless and beautiful. I don’t want people around me checking my every movement and pampering me. I like to be free in a space and Le Sirenuse is a beautiful environment for you to just be yourself.
What’s your favourite, favourite city to visit?
Buenos Aires is brilliant. It doesn’t matter who’s playing, go and see a gig, because you’ll never see anything like it. The Argentinians are so passionate. I’ve seen the Stones play all over the world and I’ve never seen anything like the atmosphere in Buenos Aires.
If you had one style tip for travellers, what would it be?
Learn how to order a cocktail in the local language, which obviously will involve you learning the words for “please” and “thank you”.
What are your travel essentials?
I never go anywhere without a kikoi, which is a cotton Kenyan scarf that I’ve used all my life. You can use it as a scarf. You can use it as a towel. You can turn it into a bag. I wear it with an unstructured dark-blue suit by my old friend Oliver Spencer. And I always take a travel shirt, which I’ve finessed over the years. It’s a bit like a safari-suit shirt and I get it made by different tailors all over the world. If I need one when I’m in London, I go to Anderson & Sheppard.
You can follow William Gilchrist on Instagram: @mr.williamjgilchrist
