At 21, Brenda Song was about to wrap the eighth and final season of Disney Channel’s The Suite Life of Zack and Cody, in which she brought the iconic London Tipton to life. Like the titular twins, played by Dylan and Cole Sprouse, Song’s hotel heiress alter ego also resided at her character’s namesake lodging chain, the Tipton Hotel.
In hindsight, Song may have embraced the suite life a little *too* much back then — especially when she was jet-setting. “I spent way too much time by the pool or in my hotel room in the most beautiful, interesting places,” Song says of her biggest travel regret. “I wish I had explored more.”
To make up for lost time, she’s since become a big travel buff — that’s how she fell for her longtime love, Macaulay Culkin, with whom she shares two children, Dakota, 4, and Carson, 2. “Traveling is something that my partner and I really bonded over. It’s actually how I knew he was ‘the one,’” she shares, recalling the series of travels that brought her to the realization. While filming the 2019 dramedy Changeland, Song, Culkin, and the rest of the cast took trips to Thailand (for work), then to Paris (for vacation). “We started our relationship traveling,” she says. “It was really stress-free. When you can travel well with somebody, that person is for you.”
Now that traveling is such a crucial part of her family’s lives, she teamed up with Citi for its Citi / AAdvantage Globe Card, a travel rewards card in partnership with American Airlines. Apart from loving the perks (including lounge passes and earning miles and loyalty points while shopping), Song knows it’s a “privilege” to take trips, so she loves “encouraging people and giving them an incentive to travel more.”
Outside of travel advice, Song is ready to share the lessons she wishes she knew at 21 about maintaining friendships, the benefits of being single versus being in the wrong relationship, and her time on The Suite Life. — Alyssa Lapid, staff writer
- “Always wash your face, wear sunscreen, and drink water.”
- “Find your strengths and steer into that skid.”
- “Friendships don’t last forever, and that’s OK. You’ll have different friends for different phases of your life; sometimes you grow apart. I’m still struggling with that one.”
- “You can make a difference. Big or small, it all matters. You don’t need a huge platform to make or call for change.”
- “Take advantage of all the perks and benefits. Work smarter, not harder.”
- “Try tasting everything at least once. Food is such a wonderful way to experience other cultures.”
- “Success is subjective. Some of the most monetarily successful people I know are the unhappiest. For me, it means being happy and healthy with my family.”
- “Sleep! Enjoy all of the sleep before having kids.”
- “It’s OK to not do what everyone else is doing. When all my friends were getting engaged or in relationships, I felt pressure to stay in relationships that may not have served me.”
- “Enjoy your single life, girl. Learn about yourself, make your mistakes. Don’t depend on anyone else for your happiness.”
- “Mistakes are just lessons, unless we keep repeating them.”
- “If you find your partner at an early age, make sure it’s someone you can grow with and who loves you for you, and that you’re not trying to be who they want you to be. I did a lot of that.”
- “Step outside of your comfort zone. Being uncomfortable means you’re growing.”
- “Trust your instincts if something feels wrong or off — don’t second-guess it.”
- “Learn to forgive quickly.”
- “Take care of your body. Find a form of exercise or movement that you can tolerate and make it a part of your routine.”
- “Learn another language.”
- “Don’t just look forward to the destination, enjoy the journey. Aging is a privilege.”
- “This time on The Suite Life won’t last forever. By the end, we were all growing up and figuring out who we wanted to be. I wish we had spent more time truly enjoying every single moment on that set, because now we look back on it as a special point in our lives in the Disney Channel bubble. I had such a beautiful experience.”
- “It’s never too late to start over.”
- “Be unapologetically you. There is no other one like you in this world, that’s what makes you special. Embrace yourself.”
This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.
