Barbara Schöneberger is one of Germany’s best-known television and radio presenters, an entertainer, actress, and singer. We spoke to her about not feeling like doing anything special, faded wanderlust, and suitcases.
Barbara, how important is traveling to you?
Very important, because otherwise I wouldn’t be able to do my job. It took me a long time to understand that my job isn’t something you can do from home on a Tuesday morning.
Do you travel more for work or for pleasure? Do you have a favorite airline?
I travel as little as possible in my private life. “I’m flying to some continent” – that’s not really my thing. My wanderlust has faded considerably over the last decades. I still travel from time to time, but I try to stay at home as much as possible in my private life – I’m very lucky to have three wonderful “homes” in Berlin, Austria, and Sweden.
For work, of course, I feel like I have to pack a small suitcase every day and go somewhere. I prefer to travel by train within Germany. If there’s no other option, I’ll take the plane. For journeys that take significantly longer than five hours, that’s a given.
I don’t have a favorite airline. Recently, however, I flew to New York with my family for a private trip and sat in a really comfortable airplane for the first time in a while. I could get used to that.
Do you work while traveling?
Well, I’ll admit it: I never turn on airplane mode. I write, send text messages, and surf Pinterest for as long as possible, and when the signal eventually drops (which is said to also happen on trains), I take a short break or prepare for the event I’m on my way to. The return journey is great because then I’m a total Instagrammer or I crochet. I always have a digital device with me when I travel.
You have just designed your own line of suitcases. How did this collaboration come about?
It has been going on for several years, and we felt right from the start that this was a partnership in which both sides could contribute something: Travelite with the power, the know-how of what a suitcase essentially needs, and the distribution network – and me, who actually has pretty good taste and of course knows best how a suitcase should be designed so that it appeals to me and the people who like me, and is also stylish. For me personally, a carry-on collection would have sufficed, as I never check in luggage. But luckily, Travelite knew that most people like larger suitcases, so together we were able to develop something for everyone’s needs.
What must luggage have for you?
I like it when there’s not too much “fiddling” around with it, not too many zippers and pockets. I actually want it to be chic and still stand out from everything else in the overhead compartment or on the baggage carousel. In terms of material, suitcases are a lot more versatile than I thought. I’ve already housed velvet and felt suitcases in my collection, and right now I have one that looks like a quilted satin Chanel bag. All the models are equally durable.
What do you look for in business hotels?
In business hotels, one sadly can no longer expect that coffee or even breakfast is brought to your room. I love watching “America’s Toughest Prisons” on a documentary channel for the 500th time with a cup of coffee in bed. Otherwise, I don’t have any special requests; I could even sleep right next to the elevator. When I sleep, I sleep.
Quirks? What do I always have with me?
Nothing at all. I think it’s completely ridiculous to travel with your own stuff. I’m staying in a hotel for one night. Once you start getting used to having your must-haves, you can’t get out of it, like: if I don’t have my shampoo, I go crazy, or if there’s not a 40-watt light bulb in the lamp, I’m not in a good mood – none of that matters to me at all. Really! I’m happy if there’s body lotion, but sometimes even that’s been cut from hotels, so I’ve ended up rubbing my expensive eye serum on my legs. But I’m actually completely uncomplicated and want to stay that way.
Are you always online when you’re on vacation?
Do you choose hotels based on whether they have good Wi-Fi? Luckily, I usually stay in my own holiday homes when I’m on vacation. I don’t use Wi-Fi, either privately or professionally, because I think the 5G network is always faster than any public Wi-Fi. Thus I rely on the basic “net coverage” being stable. And if it’s not, all the better, then I devote myself to other things.
Thank you very much for the interview, Barbara!
Barbara Schöneberger is a true multi-talent. Whether as a TV presenter on “Verstehen Sie Spaß?” (ARD) and “Denn Sie wissen nicht, was passiert” (RTL) or as namesake and host of her digital radio station “barba radio” with the successful show “Mit den Waffeln einer Frau,” she has been thrilling German-speaking audiences for years. The suitcase collection designed by BARBARA for Travelite is available in Lufthansa shops and from Miles & More etc.
Foto: Barba Box, Travelite
