Exclusive: Richard Branson on the Simple Item He Always Travels With—and How He Uses It to Make His Hotels, Planes, and Cruises Better

Man, this guy is cool.

It’s the only thing I could think as I watched Richard Branson saunter into his latest hotel, Virgin Hotel London-Shoreditch, wearing the “it guy” uniform: jeans, a white t-shirt, a black jacket, and nondescript sneakers. And while he’s as timeless as it gets, it’s key to remember he’s also 74 years old, almost a decade on from the retirement age in the U.K. But for Branson, a man who fittingly wrote a book called, “Screw It, Let’s Do It,” slowing down just isn’t in the cards. Especially when it comes to filling his life with adventure and travel—something he has no plans to stop anytime soon. “I don’t feel any different,” he says when asked why he keeps going so many years into his career, before joking, “unless I catch my face in the mirror.” 

“I enjoy life enormously. I love to challenge myself. I love challenging all the people around me,” Branson shared during a sunny afternoon on the roof deck patio of the hotel. It’s equally as hip as its owner, with a pool, plush seating, and plenty of spots for those looking for a bite to eat at Marlin’s, which serves Mediterranean-inspired cuisine.

Though most of his time is now spent working on his non-profit ventures, Branson said he is indeed very happy whenever he gets the chance to “come to the U.K. to open a hotel,” or “pop over to Saudi Arabia on Virgin Atlantic’s new route,” or “go to Toronto on our new route there.” Thanks to his many travel businesses, Branson can travel the world and be immersed in the Virgin brand every step of the way.

Branson is in town to launch Virgin Hotel London-Shoreditch‘s new Hidden Grooves listening bar packed with vinyl, including bands he signed in his early days at Virgin Records. “Maybe we should consider reopening a Virgin Megastore in the U.K.,” Branson mused aloud as he entered the newly completed space, gazing up at the floor-to-ceiling shelves stacked with the greatest hits.

It may surprise travelers to learn that this is the first Virgin Hotel in London, given the Virgin brand’s history in the capital. “I suspect we should have chosen London 40 years ago, but we didn’t have the money after music and the airline,” said Branson. But now, all that’s changing, as the team attempts to open a number of hotels around the world “so that passengers who fly on Virgin Atlantic can continue the experience” once they land, per Branson. 

That’s the thing about Branson—he’s a true travel connoisseur who knows exactly what travelers need and want out of an experience from takeoff to landing and beyond. And he’s always looking for ways to improve the Virgin travel experience—even if that means stealing from the airline.

As Branson shared with a laugh, years ago, a flight manager at Virgin Airlines begged him to ditch the cabin’s constantly pilfered mini salt‑and‑pepper shakers as it was costing them too much money to replace them. But rather than get rid of them, “We stamped underneath them: Stolen from Virgin Atlantic,” he said, transforming that line‑item loss into the ultimate travel souvenir. 

Branson has been just about everywhere. For crying out loud, he’s been to space. But he’s always listening, learning, and implementing the feedback he gets not just from the executives at Virgin, but also from the crew members onboard its aircrafts, the cabin stateroom attendants on Virgin Voyages, and the front desk staff at his hotels. And that’s why Branson always travel with a notebook.

“I have a notebook all the time, just listening and writing down suggestions,” he said, recalling a flight when a cabin crew member who shared with him that the shoes chosen as part of the uniform were causing blisters. Branson says he wrote down the comment and had the shoes switched out the following day.

And while he spends plenty of time perfecting the guest and crew experience, Branson has his own unique travel habits. For starters, he doesn’t spend all his time in his hotel room; according to Branson, the second his bags are in the room, he’s itching to get out and explore by foot, bike, or kiteboard.

“I love active holidays,” he shared, rattling off a list of must-do activities from paddle and pickleball to hiking through the Atlas Mountains in Morocco and swimming in the warm Caribbean Sea off Necker. This, he adds, allows him to “meet all sorts of different people in all sorts of different countries,” feeding his natural curiosity and, inevitably, his notebook.