Ashley Tisdale Describes How Her Daughter’s ‘Magic Backpack’ Kept Her Entertained on an Endless Flight [Exclusive]
High School Musical Disney star Ashley Tisdale said her 2-year-old daughter Jupiter has always been a good traveler, which was tested when the family was stuck on a flight that spent double the amount of time in the air.
“That was obviously tested because we were stuck in the air for hours,” she told Showbiz Cheat Sheet during a Chase IHG One Rewards Credit Cards announced the opening of “The Slowdown.”
Tisdale described how packing a “magic backpack” kept her daughter entertained for hours.
Ashley Tisdale shares what she packs inside her daughter’s ‘magic backpack’ for a flight
“We were supposed to land at 3:00. And at this point, it was like 3:30 and then we had to refuel. So we went to Syracuse and refueled. We actually didn’t land until 7 p.m., which is an insane flight. I really was so proud of her. The only time she started to melt down was the last hour.”
“So we’re really lucky,” she continued. “But some of the things that we like to do come from what we’ve heard from other mom friends, which is pack her little baby shark backpack. We put all these little trinkets and toys that she hasn’t seen. So it’s like her magic backpack.”
“And so when she gets on the plane, she gets to sit there and she goes through her backpack. They love to go through a backpack,” Tisdale shared. “It’s like that’s entertainment for a good 20 minutes. And then seeing little kinds of toys. My husband’s really good at finding these tiny things that she’s going to love and obviously coloring books. And so she goes through that for a really long time.”
Ashley Tisdale has a fun way to distract her baby during takeoff and landing
Tisdale also created a fun game for when the plane takes off and lands. “She loves the show Little Einsteins. When she was younger we used to call it a rocket ship instead of a plane. But it was really funny that the captain yesterday was like, ‘OK we’re in Syracuse and we’re going to blast off soon!’ I was like, ‘He is on point with this conversation!'”
“So really we like to kind of like sit and sing their little song. And she puts her hands in the air and it is blastoff! So we just try to have fun with her and make it a really enjoyable experience,” she said.
Where to next?
Being a part of “The Slowdown” definitely inspired Tisdale to do even more family travel. “I was excited to partner up with Chase IHG One Rewards Credit Cards for ‘The Slowdown’ experience because I talk a lot about mental health and taking a moment to ourselves,” she said.
“I just feel like in our everyday life we get to be so busy and we truly don’t take a moment to slow down. And so they have this pop-up experience here at Grand Central Terminal where you go through and experience a little bit of just like taking a moment to see different hotels and locations. And it’s really amazing. I love to travel and to slow down. I love to kind of be present with my family.”
“The Slowdown” features a labyrinth-style structure surrounded by picturesque vacation destinations via 360 digital media displays. These wanderlust-inducing locations–from the mountains of Courchevel, France at the Six Senses Residences Courchevel, to the beaches at the InterContinental Bali Resort, to the city views at the Kimpton St Honoré Paris – represent just a sampling of IHG Hotels & Resorts’ 6,000+ global destinations across 18 hotel brands.
The experience inspired Tisdale to take the family to Paris. “Since yesterday, I’m like, we’re taking that trip to Paris soon,” Tisdale said. “I really want to go to Europe with my husband and I love experiencing things with her too, so I would love to bring her.”
‘The Slowdown” is open at Grand Central Station in New York City today, June 27 from 8 a.m. until 8 p.m. ET. Those unable to experience the activation in person can visit http://www.theslowdownexperience.com on their mobile devices to unlock three augmented reality (AR) filters.
