From Shanghai to Montréal—Here's Everything a 19-Year-Old Race-Car Driver Packs for Long-Haul Flights

For the last seven years, motorsport has taken up the majority of 19-year-old Canadian race-car driver Nicole Havrda's time. She's been racing since she was just 12 and rising the ranks until, in 2025, she was invited to join F1 Academy, an all-female racing series founded in 2023 that was designed to drive change in motorsport and support young women's racing careers. F1 Academy, spotlighted in Netflix's new docuseries F1: The Academy, is a single-seater racing series founded by Formula One, in which aspiring female drivers have a chance to work with F1 teams, race during the same weekends as F1, and learn from their favorite F1 drivers, such as Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc.

In her debut season, Havrda is driving for American Express, spotlighting women-owned small businesses along the way. Ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix, her home race, I got the chance to speak with Havrda about her tried-and-true packing tips, her favorite parts about working with Amex, her long-term career goals, and the items she never leaves for a long flight without. Below, read our conversation and shop her packing list, which has been fail-proof during her travels this year, going everywhere from Shanghai to Montréal.

What's your favorite/the most rewarding part about being a race-car driver?

Winning, of course! And seeing people out there who support me and making my parents proud.

Your journey as a woman in motorsport was featured in the documentary The Car Knows No Difference. Why was it important for you to share your experience in the sport with the public? Do you want to continue being outward about your experience, especially now that you're in F1 Academy?

I loved sharing the behind-the-scenes elements of racing and how it really is, especially being a woman in motorsports. We are actually filming a second season of that documentary, and it will feature me racing in F1 Academy.

Tell me about your experience so far in F1 Academy and working with American Express as a partner.