Cyrena Lee – Freelance Writer

Cyrena Lee is a freelance writer based between NYC, Paris and Taipei – and sometimes other places. With over 10 years of experience in branding and marketing, she has helped to launch startups in the retail, fitness, travel and health and wellness spaces. In her own words, she is particularly interested in “holograms, lucid dreaming, meditating, eating hot pot, learning languages, and climbing.”

When we first met, Cyrena was the Head of Content at Getaway, where she launched the content strategy as well as overhauled their website and brand platform across all channels. The result was “an experience designed to bring us back to our elements, immerse us in the magic of the woods, and challenge us to rediscover the pleasure of boredom, solitude and unstructured time.” Sounds dreamy, right?

Cyrena studied Anthropology at Barnard College, then spent time abroad in Beijing and Paris, before moving to Shanghai to explore the world of advertising at Oglivy. Since then, she’s worked in creative marketing for brands big and small, including Virgin Sport and Brooklyn Boulders. And she is currently working on several novels and a collection of short stories.

Part of our Insiders series, this is your window into the worlds of the coolest people in Safara’s network. These are the contacts we’d hit up for travel inspiration, whether it’s a hotel recommendation, a new track for our in-transit playlist, the best mini-products to pack, or just to daydream about where we’d open a boutique island hotel (this changes with each Insider guide we read – we’re easily and happily influenced).

Read on for travel inspiration from Cyrena Lee.

What hotel room design element can you not live without?

Remote controlled curtains — I first encountered this at CitizenM in Shoreditch, London. Going from day to night without getting up is a pretty nice touch, and now it seems like an absurd necessity.

Where would you go for a digital detox or just generally to get off the grid?

Any Getaway cabin to detox, or the south of France to just hang out and eat fresh tomatoes and cheese all day.

What do you always bring with you in your carry-on?

My rock climbing shoes, because, you never know.

Have you or would you travel alone?

Traveling alone is one of my favorite things to do. I even wrote a piece on it called “When You Travel Alone, You Belong to Everyone” for Fathom a few years back. People emailed me saying they were inspired to do so after. It’s absolute freedom!

Best travel advice you’ve ever received?

I used to plan in advance more, but my French boyfriend has a very lax approach to traveling. He never books hotels in advance because, as he puts it, he never knows if he’ll want to stay longer or go somewhere else last-minute. I’ve found that this mode of non-planning opens up for a lot more unexpected adventures.

Do you have any tips or tricks for beating the dreaded jet lag?

Start eating according to the time zone you’ll be traveling to 12 hours before your flight. Or just convince yourself it doesn’t exist. A combination of the two works every time for me, even for flights to Asia.

What’s your go-to outfit for getting through security quickly, and still looking good?

Love my ADAY Don’t Stop Top and Brakes On Leggings, for comfort and looking chic all at once. I pair it with a massive Lauren Manoogian sweater to keep warm.

Is in-flight wifi a good idea?

Yes, working flights equal less stolen vacation time.

Lost luggage, or lost phone?

Lost phone. Airplane mode, please.

Favorite subscription service you’ll never delete?

Patreon.

Read more from our Insiders series, here.