All products are independently selected by our editors. If you buy something, we may earn an affiliate commission.
Few people on earth travel as often as professional athletes. With On the Road, the GQ Sports Travel Questionnaire, they’re weighing in on everything from room service to flying comfortably to their favorite chain restaurants.
Jasmine Thomas has seen every type of airport, hotel, and airplane the world has to offer. The 33-year-old, currently a few weeks into her 13th WNBA season, has played basketball in a myriad of places. She went to high school in Vienna (Virginia, not Austria), but has since seen a staggering amount of the European continent. After being drafted 12th overall in 2011 out of Duke, Thomas began the typical cycle of playing in the WNBA during the summers and overseas during the winters. She’s suited up for teams in DC and Atlanta, but also Russia, the Czech Republic, Turkey, Israel, and Poland.
Now, she’s on her fourth WNBA squad, having joined the Los Angeles Sparks during the offseason. The defensive specialist just wrapped up a seven-year run with the Connecticut Sun, during which she made the league’s All-Defensive First Team three times and experienced the highs and lows of WNBA travel. While the league has made enormous strides in this field—this year, teams will take charter planes for all playoff games, as well as any regular season showdown where a team is playing on back-to-back nights—Thomas is no stranger to flying commercially and dealing with airport superfans. (Our interview also occurred before an unsettling incident last weekend, in which WNBA megastar Brittney Griner was harassed at the Dallas airport while flying commercially with her team, the Phoenix Mercury.)
When talking travel, Thomas makes sure to point out that she still loves it and has been very fortunate with her WNBA flight luck. She talked about the highs and lows—specifically, the WNBA cities she likes and dislikes—of her work-related travel and shared some tips for how to optimize your next stay in a hotel.
Do you have any stories from flying commercially in the WNBA that stand out?
Travel was rough in Connecticut. We had three airports that we could use, but they were all like an hour away. They were smaller airports, too, not hubs. Flights weren’t as frequent. I don’t have a story about having to sleep in the airport. But we did have several times where we had to split up because everyone couldn’t take the same flight. That was annoying. You want to travel with the team, stick to the schedule, and have everyone arrive at the same time. We had so many times where something like that would happen. But I remember [the Sparks] sleeping in the airport last year. I think I’ve been lucky.
How do you feel about flying? Any fear of planes?
You know, my flight anxiety as I’ve gotten older has honestly gotten worse. But I think it’s more [about] tight spaces. I can’t even sit in the backseat of a car. Shotgun or I’ll take the next one. My flight anxiety is more on international flights. I’m a stickler for my routine, because I know if I sleep for eight hours and I wake up and we’re still not on the ground, I’m going to start feeling a little anxious. It’s more about not having Wi-Fi where I can check in with my family and friends to let them know how it’s going. If there’s turbulence and I’m feeling uneasy, it’s way worse if I don’t have Wi-Fi.
I had one flight, this would have been 2013 when I was playing in Vologda, Russia. It’s like nine hours north of Moscow. So it’d be a nine-hour train to Moscow and then we could get a flight anywhere in Europe. We were flying to Orenburg, Russia. When I tell you it was a blizzard, in the States? For sure that plane was not going up. But the weather is like that so frequently over there that they have their techniques, things to de-ice the plane, whatever whatever. This one was not good. I don’t get nervous until the flight attendants get nervous. Everybody on the plane was kind of looking around to see who was getting nervous. I’m not sure what it was, but the drops were like, a lot. The lights were flickering. My stomach was dropping constantly for four hours. That was the scariest time. My teammate and I were holding each other’s hand.
And the thing is, that’s probably very normal [in Russia]. We just don’t experience that regularly [in America]. That’s uncomfortable, because if you know that flight wouldn’t leave at home, you’re like, “Why would it leave here?!”
And you can’t also be like, “Umm, as an American, I don’t think we should be flying this plane.”
[laughing] Right! Exactly.
What’s your plane move?
Ohhh, I’m an ambitious TV watcher that always falls asleep before the plane even takes off. I’m usually in an early boarding group and I always have a window seat. As soon as I store my stuff, I take out my iPad and put it in the little thing, and then I’m asleep. I try to watch shows. But it doesn’t usually happen. I feel bad for people that can’t sleep on planes. Some of the hours we travel—and how frequently we travel—if you can’t sleep, it’s tough.
I never even thought about the seating arrangements. How is that decided? Do you put the rookies in the middle seats?
A little bit. When you start the season, most teams ask for your preferences for travel. They ask for your TSA [information] plus your seat preference. The new CBA requires all the players to have priority seating. So now we sit in the highest cabin that’s available. But sometimes there’s not enough seats for everybody, so yeah, then it kind of goes by years of service and height. We’re not putting any huge centers in uncomfortable seats. Sometimes I hate that, because if I can get an exit row with a window, wooo!
Is there a dress code on the plane?
It’s whatever you want, for the most part. Business casual, which just means presentable. We do get team sweats, so sometimes that’s convenient. If you have a late game and you’re getting in at like 11, we’ll all just wear the team sweats. But I actually prefer not to [because we get recognized]. We want to be advocates for the league, for sure. We want to have these conversations and engage with fans. But at the same time, we want to travel safely. We don’t want to be interacting with people in airports more than we have to. So I think not wearing the team stuff is better. But that’s just my opinion.
It’s crazy. I don’t know if it’s just me, because of how I present on social media, but it is unreal how many people just go in to hug me. It’s not anything where I feel violated, but it’s just like, “High five maybe?” They get so excited to see us that they don’t even think that it’s probably not the best thing to just go in for a hug. But it happens so much.
What are some essential items you have to bring with you when traveling?
I pack exactly the same for, like, every trip. Everything seems essential. I bring a satin pillowcase everywhere that I go. That’s what I sleep on. I always have my iPad. Oh! I always bring a pair of Crocs.
Crocs are back! People love Crocs. I’m interested in this satin pillowcase, though. How long have you been using that? When did you get to the point where you could only sleep on satin?
Maybe my third year in the league. I got introduced to how healthy satin is for your skin and your hair. So, I started tying my hair up with satin scarves and then I just got all satin pillowcases with my bedding. But I realized that every time I went on the road, they weren’t going to have that. Now I just keep one, or two, in my bag. It’s both a comfort thing and a skin thing. I do run hot when I sleep, so I’ve got performance sheets and the satin pillowcase. It helps a lot. You should try it!
Are you an overpacker or an underpacker?
I’m an overpacker in so many ways. I bring my computer, my iPad, every device. Speakers, headphones—real headphones and in-ear headphones—so I was like, “I need to minimize this.” I have the big iPad, it’s damn near a computer. But it’s lighter and easier to travel with. Plus I can download all my shows on there, which is better if I’m watching something on the flight. It’s just more convenient.
But I’m a full overpacker. Oh my goodness. My bag is always overweight. I like when we fly Delta because then we get extra bags for the team and I don’t feel bad about my bag being overweight. Mine is consistently at like 70 pounds. I try on all my outfits and pack them exactly how I want them to be worn. But sometimes it’s like, damn I don’t feel like wearing this today. So I need a few options in case I don’t feel as good about that outfit that day! Then, I always have five pairs of the same type of jeans. Because I won’t pack them, then I’ll feel like I need them, so I go out and buy some. I’m Team End Up With an Extra Luggage Bag. But I try to avoid that.
What makes a good hotel room and what makes a bad hotel room?
I’m a big bathroom person. I love the materials and the lighting. If it’s a standing shower, I want it to look a certain way. If it’s a tub, I’m like, “Please have a good shower curtain that doesn’t touch me.” But I’m also really big on the view, and whether they have a smart TV. The housekeeping service—and I know that since COVID things have gotten kind of crazy—but if I don’t have my thing on the door, and I leave my room between the hours of like 8 and 11 am, I am so upset if I come back and the bed isn’t made. I make my own bed every morning [at home] but I don’t like being in a hotel making my own bed every morning, and sometimes you have to.
There’s also that weird nap time. Usually our shootarounds are between 10 and 11 am. So from 10 to 12, we’re out of the room. If they don’t come then, the worst thing ever is for them to come during nap time. I also like when there’s a cafe at the hotel. I do room service if I absolutely have to. But I’m more of a grab and go, just go down to the lobby and get a good coffee or a good sandwich. I love when a hotel has that. I love a good blackout curtain, too. That’s, like, the best sleep. Man, I’ve got a long list of things!
I know you said you only do room service if you have to, but what’s the go-to order?
Brussels sprouts, Caesar salad, salmon, and some form of dessert. I love ice cream, but it usually ends up being a cheesecake or a chocolate cake.
Do you have a favorite among the usual WNBA hotels?
I love the Dallas hotel. It has all the stuff that I’m talking about. Bathrooms are great, service is great, there’s a cafe in the lobby area. And then, you can walk to Wal-Mart! I know most people don’t think of professional athletes doing those sorts of things. But I like to if I can, because as soon as I get somewhere, I go get all my snacks so that I don’t have to leave the room for little things. I always go to a Rangers game every time I’m there, too.
Is that your favorite road city? What are some other WNBA cities you like, and what are some that you don’t really like?
It’s crazy because LA used to be one of [my favorites] and now I play here. So that is pretty cool. But Phoenix is my top. Favorite trip. I love to play in Phoenix. That hotel is really nice, it’s got a nice pool area. Super convenient. I just—I love convenience. You can walk to the CVS or the Chipotle. There’s an Urban Outfitters. The arena is [nearby]. I love that, and I love the hot weather. People complain, we’ll be there in the middle of the summer and it’s 110 degrees, but I am so happy. That’s the one time my bag isn’t overweight, because my clothes aren’t as heavy. I like DC, too, because that’s where I’m from. That’s a good time to see my family, and DC is just one of my favorite cities.
Is there an overrated city that you don’t particularly love?
I’m not a big New York person. I do love coming through for a short period of time, so sometimes our trips are perfect. It’ll be like two days, and I can get excited about it, maybe shop a little bit. But then I’m ready to go. I’ve tried to accept it. I thought I might live there during the offseason, and then I was just like, “I can’t. I don’t think I would be happy.”
Where would you like the league to expand to?
I mean, the way that the whole Toronto thing just went, it seems like a pretty hot city. I was following along on social media, and it just looked like the fans were on point. Being able to fill up that arena and have a whole WNBA day, it seems like the market is hungry for a team. But I also think about [laughing] everybody probably thinks this. But, like, Miami? You know, some more vibrant markets that are cool cities to live in. I still think the Bay could be a good area, get some more West Coast teams. I’m thinking about this from a travel standpoint. The travel from Seattle and LA is the hardest in the league. There’s no one really close to us. Vegas and Phoenix I think are the closest, then you have Dallas. But Seattle is a good way’s away from Southern California! More West Coast teams would help.
Obviously there’s a lot that goes into expanding and getting a team in a certain market. But I think about areas that have a high volume of Division-I college teams. I always think about North Carolina, that’s sort of a central location for the East Coast. It’s a basketball area. They’re used to having the NCAA teams, so if you put a WNBA team, maybe it brings some of that same excitement.
There was a team in Charlotte for a little while, right?
Yes, shout out to the Charlotte Sting.
Where’s your favorite place you’ve been for vacation?
Turks and Caicos was nice. Cabo was nice. That was my first time on the west coast of Mexico. I always went to Cancun. Honestly, my favorite was probably the Dominican Republic for my brother’s wedding in 2017. One, because it was the first time I traveled and it wasn’t on me. I was like, “Thanks, bro! This is great!” They got married at a resort, so all my family was there, it was a good time. I had to miss a game. That was the first game I ever missed in my career. I had some nerves about that, but that was an experience I would never miss. A hundred times out of a hundred, I would go to my brother’s wedding. He’s not getting married a hundred times, though. [laughing]
Where’s somewhere you want to go but haven’t yet?
Ugh, Barcelona! I’ve been trying to go for like ten years. It just hasn’t worked out. When I’m overseas, usually I have three or four days to go somewhere and two are travel days. I want to go for real, get like a ten-day trip to Barcelona. That’s next on my list for sure.
What’s your favorite chain restaurant? The one that is going to hit every single time for you, no matter what city you’re in?
Cava. I love Mediterranean food, and I love Cava. I love the braised lamb. I played most of my overseas years in Turkey (five years) and Israel (two years). So that Mediterranean cuisine is my all-time fave. That’s undefeated. I’ll probably eat it after practice today.