Emerson Barth works at Quantum Projects, an innovative, multidisciplinary advisory born at the intersection of creativity and technology. Prior to that, he was a talent manager at IMG Models. It’s a career which has taken the 34-year-old around the world – whether the Cannes red carpet, Bulgari shoots in Rome, or a slew of global fashion weeks – leaving him an expert in the art of international travel. Here, he shares with SMR Days what he’s learnt along the way – from transcendental meditation to cure jet lag to the one grooming product you’ll always find in his carry on.

What is your go-to holiday destination?

Ibiza – the calm and restorative side of the island is magical. There is zero pressure or guilt to follow any itinerary, and time seems to exist in a way that lets you maximise your happiness. My friends with homes there are the most consummate hosts I have ever encountered – in the kitchen, by the pool, or at the club.

What is the hotel you keep returning to, and what makes it special?

The Amansala is the first hotel I stayed in Tulum, Mexico, and I’ll always return there. The owner Melissa runs the property with lightning precision – a rarity when you are on Tulum time – the guacamole comes with jicama chips instead of tortilla, and the boot camp classes are officially the most that I have ever exercised on a holiday.

What is your favourite holiday purchase – or find – and what makes it special?

On my first few visits to Tel Aviv I was too busy eating to find any shopping, but this last trip I needed to buy an extra bag to lug everything home. The beautiful ceramic bowls that I spent two hours picking out on Shabazi Street bring me joy every day.

Tell us a meal you’ve had recently that’s transported you to somewhere you’ve visited.

A friend in the Cotswolds has a pizza oven. Eating homemade pies fresh [out the oven] with changing blends of burrata, rosemary, nduja, mushrooms and pickings from the garden, and Andrea Bocelli playing out onto the patio in the late afternoon, it felt like we could have been in a backyard pizzeria in Tuscany.

What’s your go-to flying outfit?

Always my blue velour drop-crotch tracksuit from Kith.

Describe your dream rental car…

The white Mustang convertible I drove on a road trip through the Yucatan peninsula with my mom and brother.

Do you have a routine to beat jet lag? What is it?

The CFDA offered a transcendental meditation course years ago – it is a superpower. When I fly from New York to London Fashion Week and basically go straight from the plane to backstage, it is life-saving to find 20 minutes in a quiet corner. I’ve also just learned about grounding! It took me a while to find a patch of grass in the middle of Soho, but connecting barefoot with the earth after a long-haul flight apparently equalises the static charge in our body’s water cells and mitochondrial function.

What’s a grooming product you can’t do without while travelling?

Now that I’ve started using Augustinus Bader face cream, I will be taking it with me everywhere.

What are your favourite apps to use when you are away?

If I am moving, I am generally listening to podcasts on the CastBox app. I am blissfully happy wandering the streets of a new city and learning about health, technology, science, or nature.

Into Emerson’s look? Check out our new arrivals.

Plus, get to know more of our SMR Days men, from their insider address books to how they travel in style.

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