This interview is part of Seatmates, a Window Seat series decoding the travel habits, global itineraries, and design-forward recommendations of today’s most compelling tastemakers.
When I first started dreaming up what would eventually become this publication, Michelle González, better known as @laxtoluxury, was one of the people who made all of this feel possible. Long before I made travel my full-time career—much less even considered it a career I could realistically pursue—I was following along as she documented some of the world’s most extraordinary flights, hotels, and destinations with a level of curiosity and attention to detail I admired.
Michelle is what I’d call an expander: someone whose life and work broaden your understanding of what’s possible for your own. After 13 years in corporate America, she traded her career in finance and global sales strategy for one spent traveling the world. And travel she does: you’ll find her on more than 100 flights each year, and her Flighty all-time stats clock in at more than 2 million miles flown across 1,000+ flights!
Read on for the one hotel that left her with absolutely zero notes, the three things she believes define true luxury after all this time, and why she thinks the next generation of travel creators needs to rethink its approach.
Tell us a little about yourself.
I’m Michelle González, and I post short-form luxury travel videos online under the handle @LAXtoLuxury! (LAX for the airport—though some people seem to think it’s “lax,” like “relax.”) I’ve always been a huge avgeek, so my best-known recurring series is my signature flight vlogs, where I cover my experiences in various first and business classes while also featuring properties and destinations.
I was corporate for 13 years, starting my career in finance and most recently heading global sales strategy and operations for a major beauty brand, before leaving in late 2022 to pursue content creation full time. It was a huge leap, given how much I had prioritized climbing the corporate ladder for years and where I had gotten to in my career (and the financial security that came with that!), but it’s been an unbelievable four years of getting to make my love of travel a full-time gig!
You have this amazing ability to make aspirational travel feel approachable. How do you balance inspiring people with giving them practical info?
This is the exact feedback I hear most—that my content makes aspirational travel approachable—and to be honest, I don’t purposefully do anything specific to strike that balance! I think it’s a natural extension of who I am and my origin story as a traveler; I didn’t grow up traveling luxuriously, but I’ve always had the travel bug, and I’ve scratched that itch at every stage of adulthood.
In college and post-grad, that meant happily cramming into a middle seat in the back, mileage running on mistake fares for status, backpacking, and couchsurfing. Later, when cool flights mattered more to me than where I stayed, I utilized points and miles to check off business and first-class bucket-list products while staying in totally run-of-the-mill properties. As my corporate career (and income) grew, I started prioritizing luxurious properties and booking cash fares, not limiting myself to what points and miles could do.
Through every era, I’ve been hands-on, spending hours researching every detail of every trip. My main priority with my informational content is to distill all of that into bite-sized, actionable info, which I think is why it feels approachable instead of “she’s showing off to us.”
I also believe there’s power in knowing your audience, and I know mine is absolutely segmented, so my content serves different people differently. Whether I’m serving as inspiration for someone planning more budget-friendly trips, or someone who splurges on one luxury trip a year, or someone whose annual travel budget is ten times mine but still wants inspiration for their next getaway, I think by understanding that segmentation and catering to it, my overall way of sharing feels more approachable.
You’ve built a career around luxury travel, but I’m curious: what does luxury mean to you? Has that definition changed the more you’ve traveled?
My definition of luxury has absolutely evolved as I’ve traveled more! When I first started moving up in taste and budget, a fancy villa or beautiful architecture was enough to give me that feeling of differentiation and luxury. Over the years, comparing the subtler service nuances between properties has helped me hone in on what actually makes a stay luxurious, and these days there are three things I look for most. First, behind-the-scenes coordination that anticipates how guests move through their day and services you accordingly—like the server at breakfast letting the housekeeping team know you’re out of your villa, so your villa gets serviced invisibly in your absence. Second, staff who act on what they notice about you, like the turndown team leaving slippers only on the side of the bed you sleep on when you’re traveling solo, or servers knowing your coffee order after the first day. Third, not being nickel-and-dimed at every turn, even if it’s because the thoughtful extras are baked into a higher room rate. Think a complimentary spread of local snacks and drinks in your minibar, or a daily elevated complimentary activity.
You’ve been doing this long enough to see the travel creator industry change dramatically. What do you think the next generation of aspiring creators in this space needs to do differently?
Interestingly, I still feel super new to the travel creator landscape since I only started with the TikTok boom of 2020, and so many years’ worth of bloggers, YouTubers, and Instagrammers preceded me! I was early to informational short-form video, though, and I don’t think that format is going anywhere. The real problem is how quickly information gets consolidated and copied by people chasing a go-viral-quick hack (ask me how many times I’ve seen my signature hooks shamelessly co-opted!).
With AI turning hours of deep research into something people can glean from a quick chat prompt, I think the next generation of creators needs to hone in on what makes their voice different and what value they add that copycats and AI can’t.
What’s been your most memorable stay?
There are few stays where I walk away saying, “no notes,” but Awasi Iguazu was one of those. Just because I don’t make a brand out of criticism doesn’t mean I’m not keeping a personal note on any stay where little failings start to pile up, both for my own reference and for when the property asks for direct feedback (the best ones do). I left Awasi Iguazu without a single critical note.
It’s a luxury, activity-based, all-inclusive where you get a dedicated 4x4 and a personal guide taking you on daily excursions of your choice from a well-curated menu of options that prioritize private, intimate access in an otherwise tourist-heavy region. It’s also a Relais & Chateaux property, so the food and beverage is exceptional, and the personalized menus each night were a highlight. The service felt so natural; everything was taken care of and nothing was strained or try-hard. It’s a huge premium for the region—we paid four times the rate of the next most expensive property in the area (the Belmond just over the border, which I also visited and really liked)—but it was an exceptional, well-rounded experience across every touchpoint.
For sheer beauty, though, nothing beats The Brando for me. I’ve been three times, and while the service has been disappointing the last two, the atoll itself is stunning, and I love how the Tetiaroa Society protects its wildlife, flora and fauna.
Is there a destination or property at the top of your wishlist?
The Seychelles! It’s been at the top of my list for ages, and I just haven’t made it there yet. I’ve also had four trips to the Red Sea canceled in the last 18 months because of unrest in the region (or the country), so I’d love to finally go and see if it really compares to the Maldives, as someone who’s stayed at a handful of Maldivian resorts.
What are your must-haves when it comes to luggage and items you travel with?
For luggage: Paravel: they’ve unfortunately gone out of business, but I still love my various pieces so they’re still my go-tos! (Ed Note: A fraudulent website impersonating Paravel is currently advertising this luggage at steep discounts. Please don’t attempt to purchase anything from the site or enter your payment info.)
For personal item: The Beis Air Duffle: I’ve tried a million different personal items and I just really love how unbelievably light and roomy this one is. The weight truly is the differentiator. The Calpack Luka (I believe the Air Duffle is a loose dupe of the Luka) looks like a great alternative and is available in more colorways, since the Air Duffle now appears to only be available in Black!
For tech, organization, and wellness favorites: I’m such a pouch person, but my two absolute must-haves are my tech pouch (the Away large tech kit— here’s a carousel on a lot of what I keep in it!) and my “packets” pouch (electrolyte packets, fiber packets, multivitamin packets, nighttime calming packets—if I can mix it in liquid and chug it for my overall wellbeing, it’s going in my packets pouch)!
What is your go-to airport outfit?
I LIVE in my Kizik Limas, which I’ve had for over three years. The slip-on technology (that doesn’t look like a lame slip-on) is a godsend. Look closely at my flight vlogs and you’ll see me in them 95% of the time. With my back pain, not having to bend down and wrestle my sneakers on when I want to pop into the galley or restroom mid-flight is amazing. I’ll be devastated when this pair gives out since they no longer make the colorway I have.
Compression socks are also a must. There are cute ones (like Comrad), but I usually wear the old-lady beige ones my doctor recommended since I need higher compression than most.
For the actual outfit, it’s usually compressive leggings (like the Alo Airlift High-Waist Suit Up Leggings), any t-shirt or tank, and a matching warm layer (like the Alo Hazy Mock Neck Pullover). If I’m bringing a super chunky knit that takes up half my suitcase, I’ll wear that as my top layer instead to free up the suitcase space! I do get some annoying comments on my flight vlogs from people who think first or business class calls for an elevated dress code, but I’m always in good company up front in similar outfits.
Also, for women: if you can survive without tons of support (I know that’s not everyone), a pull-over wireless bra (meaning no hook-and-eye closure and no wires) is so comfortable on travel days. I live in a Skims style that’s been discontinued, but the Seamless Sculpt Bralette seems comparable!
“Take note of the airport, gate, and on-board crew who make your day better, and look for the feedback form on your airline’s site to submit compliments!”
Do you have any rules or rituals when it comes to air travel?
If I can get to the airport early enough to enjoy a lounge restaurant, I prefer to have a full meal on the ground and go right to sleep on a long-haul. Meal service in the air can cut a solid couple of hours out of your rest, and most inflight meals can’t compete with what you can get on the ground anyway.
Unless there’s a truly special beverage program on board, I generally don’t drink on flights anymore. It’s a novelty the first few times in a premium cabin, and you should 100% take advantage if you’re checking off a bucket list aviation experience, but when you fly 100+ flights a year, I’d rather make sure my water intake is where it needs to be. I also always have electrolytes on hand so that water does more to rehydrate me.
Lastly, take note of the airport, gate, and on-board crew who make your day better, and look for the feedback form on your airline’s site to submit compliments! Air travel tends to bring out the worst in people, and I’d guess a lot of submitted feedback is probably negative, so I try to balance that out with the positive. I’ve heard from airline employees that positive feedback through official channels gets recognized and goes in employee personnel files, so it’s worth taking the time to acknowledge the good just as quickly as people rush to air out their grievances.
Last question: aisle or window seat?
Window, with direct aisle access :)
For more from Michelle, follow her on Instagram and TikTok. Interested in being featured in Seatmates or know someone who should be? Drop me a line here.
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Window Seat covers the business, culture, and experience of traveling well, written by Tori Simokov, a writer and designer based in New York. For partnership opportunities: tori@v1projects.com. You can also connect with her on Instagram, TikTok, or ShopMy.
I was wondering when you and Michelle would get together!
Bummer that luggage company went out of business!!