Actress Kaley Cuoco Shares Her Dream Disney Trip—and Why She Never Sits in the Front Row on a Plane

Kaley Cuoco has traveled to some of the dreamiest destinations around the world for work, including Thailand to film the first season of Max’s Flight Attendant, which premiered in 2020, and Berlin for the 2024 Prime Video movie “Role Play.” But of all the beautiful places she’s traveled for work, Iceland was her favorite.

“I didn’t know what to expect, and I hate being cold, but it ended up being truly one of my favorite places I’ve ever been,”The Big Bang Theory star told Travel + Leisure in an interview last week.

Shooting the second season of Flight Attendant in Iceland during a December a few years back, she experienced only a few hours of daylight, which was “a wild adventure.” Even so, she was taken by the friendliness of the locals, the ease of getting around, and the “stunning” views at every turn. “You’re surrounded by glaciers and open sky, and the food was amazing,” she said. “I can’t say enough good things.”

Cuoco has long been a proponent of making those fantasy trips a reality. That’s why she’s teamed up with Priceline on a new campaign to stop people from “dreamscrolling,” or just imagining themselves on those dream getaways, and actually book the trip. 

“We all do it, whether we’re dreamscrolling through vacations, a new home, or certain makeup, we just keep going, going, going,” she said. “I love that with this campaign, we’re popping in and saying, stop. When you book that trip, most of the time, it’s the right idea, and you won’t regret it.”

Despite the far-flung places Cuoco’s work has taken her, when it comes to her own leisure travels, she prefers to stay low-key. “Upstate New York is our happy place,” she said of herself, partner Tom Pelphrey, their 23-month-old daughter Matilda, and their dog. “It’s always a dream trip since we don’t get out there often, but it’s a very special place for us and our family.” 

Not only did she meet Pelphrey in New York, but she also loves the downtime they spend there enjoying the outdoors. “It’s way up in the mountains, so there’s tons of beautiful hikes,” she said, adding that they love both cooking and heading into town for dinner. 

More than anything, it’s all about the little moments, like playing in the yard, said Cuoco. “You get such intense seasons, like in the winter with the snow, and in the spring and fall with the leaves changing—there’s something really magical about it,” she said.

The three-time Emmy nominee also craves that homey feeling when she travels to a new city for a project. “I’ve never been a super comfortable traveler,” she admitted. “I feel like as we get older, there are just things you need, like I need my pillow, a certain blanket, my coffee maker, and certain things that give me the feel of home, but help me enjoy the new environment.”

Once she settles in, she enjoys doing a deep dive. “You’ve got to kind of get immersed in your environment,” she said, adding that she’s looking forward to an upcoming project that will allow her to spend quite a bit of time in France.

As a mom to a toddler, she’s also had to learn to adjust her travel habits for her little one, and she said she’s turned to Priceline’s built-in filters designed for parents and pet owners. Those features have helped her find family-friendly and pet-friendly hotel options and see reviews from other travelers who share the same needs.

“On a personal level, traveling with a kid is still very new for me, and I’m learning to be extra prepared with snacks, iPad, and all the things you can imagine,” she said. But her true secret: “A very stiff drink when I get on a plane!” 

Besides learning to stuff as many toys into her bag as possible and making sure she’s downloaded all the kid-friendly entertainment onto her device, she said her best travel hack is to avoid the front row. 

“People think that’s like a really cool thing to get on the plane first and get off first, but it’s the worst because you cannot store anything,” she said of the lack of under-seat space. Most of all, she said the biggest thing to do on a flight is offer “a lot of apologies to anyone else sitting in your class.”

That said, Cuoco is excited to show little Matilda the world, recently taking her to Disneyland in Anaheim, California, for the first time over the Christmas holidays. 

“Our family used to save up all year to take me and my sister to Disneyland, and I have so many unbelievable memories,” she said, calling taking her own daughter there “the best thing we could have ever done.” “I remember [my childhood visits] like it was yesterday, so I’m hoping even though she’s only two, she’s going to remember the trip forever.” 

Cuoco hopes to find more Disney magic, with her current dream trip being an extended family vacation to Walt Disney World in Florida: “I’ve been to so many amazing places, but we as a family want to bring our daughter and family and do a whole week there. Honestly, that would be the trip of a lifetime.”

So if you’ve been dreamscrolling and fantasizing about your next getaway, Cuoco recommends you just dive in and make it happen. “Travel is important—that’s where the memories are made,” she said. “There’s always a reason not to go, but then you book it and you have this amazing time and all these memories. That’s what life is all about.”