Actress Shailene Woodley on Why Public Transportation Is 'Romantic'

The "Big Little Lies" actress chatted with T+L all about sustainable travel at Uber's climate conference.

From left: Shailene Woodley at the Fendi show at Milan Fashion Week in September 2024; Shailene onstage during Uber’s GO-GET Zero event at the London Science Museum on October 08, 2024 .

For actress Shailene Woodley, taking public transportation may as well be the perfect backdrop for a rom-com scene.

”It is romantic because you’re forced to interact with the world around you,” the actress told Travel + Leisure at Uber’s climate conference in London last month. “And anytime that interaction occurs, for me as an artist, it’s deeply inspiring. And it’s also a reminder that we’re not alone and everybody’s kind of going through the same things, even if it looks different.”

In fact, the Golden Globes- and Emmy-nominated actress, known for her roles in “Big Little Lies,” “Divergent,” and “The Fault in Our Stars,” noted how taking a train or shared ride helps her explore a new place as a traveler.

“[In] most of the world, public transportation is really incredible," And to me, the easiest way to understand a culture is to actually just exist within that culture instead of being removed from it,” she said.

Specifically, Woodley praised the trains in cities like Paris and London, where she said she never feels quite as “hot and sticky” as she does on the subway in New York City.

“Europe in general is built for public transportation,” she said. “America — we definitely have some work to do — but it's also massive, our country is huge. And so when you're in a specific city and you can employ the bus system or you can employ Uber ride shares… it's a no brainer.”

With Shailene Woodley

Aisle or window?

Definitely window.

What is your favorite thing to eat when traveling?
I just try to eat whatever is the most local [dish].

Do you prefer coffee or tea?

Coffee.

What is your must-have item while traveling?

A journal.

Do you bring your own toiletries or use what the hotel provides?

I do bring my own stuff, but when I see a hotel that [uses refillable bottles], it’s really inspiring to me.

Celeb Check-in

Woodley’s love of alternative transportation does not end with trains and buses. She also loves opting for a bicycle when she can — it’s even at the center of one of her dream trips.

“I want to ride a bike through Italy,” Woodley added. “Tuscany has these incredible bike routes now where you… bike all day and then you drink wine at the vineyards all night, and you eat all the pasta, and then you bike the next day. I would love to do that for a couple weeks — that’s right up my alley.”

Beyond the rolling hills of Tuscany, Woodley also dreams of going to Thailand and Laos where she wants to spend an extended period of time exploring. But while there are places still on her bucket list, Woodley’s job does take her to incredible destinations, like Greece, where she filmed one of her latest projects, “Killer Heat.”

“The Greek locals that we worked with were… very excited to share their culture with us and help us learn the language, and help us understand their food systems and where their food comes from,” she said. “There's like an ancestry in the air in Greece that you can feel, and that, to me, was very unique.”