Actor Adam Devine Shares His Most Memorable — and Dangerous — Travel Experiences on His New Show 'Bad Ideas'

It turns out the A in Adam Devine stands for adventure. On Monday, the actor released a brand-new travel series with Quibi called Bad Ideas With Adam Devine, and for a number of episodes, you can watch him say yes to pretty much anything. To say he’s become quite the daredevil would be an understatement — Devine takes on all manner of dangerous experiences, from visiting a haunted location to conjure a demon to driving a narrow cliff trail — better known as the Death Road — in South America.

The idea all started when he was filming Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates with Zac Efron, who asked him to jump in an ocean full of sharks. “[Zac] was like, ‘Do you want to go diving with sharks?’” Devine told Travel + Leisure. “I said absolutely not, but I’m trying to be cool.”

Devine figured doing wild stunts like these would continue sparking people’s attention, and if anything, he thought it could be his ticket to see the world. Fast forward to today, and it worked. In each episode, not only was Devine able to explore a different destination, but he also brought his celebrity friends along, including Rebel Wilson, Anders Holm, and more. To celebrate the one-of-a-kind release, Devine chatted with T+L over the phone and recalled his most memorable travel experiences thus far.

T+L: In keeping with the show's title, you definitely had some bad ideas, but what would you say was your worst?

Adam Devine: “I don’t know if it was the worst travel idea, but we went deep in the jungles of Peru, up the Amazon River. It was miserably hot because it was their summer. It was 110 degrees on the day that we were shooting, and it was pure humidity. The air was thick, like you had to part it when you came out of your room. Three people [in the crew] legitimately just puked from standing there. People were passing out due to heat exhaustion, and I was like, maybe next year we plan around the seasonal weather as best as we can.”

It looks like you just have to be ready for whatever happens. With that being the case, can you let us in on some of your travel essentials?

“You’ve got to have your little face washes. I have a little bag that I carry everywhere that has my face wash, toothbrush, toothpaste, all the stuff that makes you feel like a human being and not the grossest person alive. When you’re traveling, you never know — you might get stuck somewhere and you can’t take a shower. It’s nice to know that you can freshen yourself up and not be a hot, steamy pile of wet garbage.”

What kind of tote or luggage do you have?

“I have a Tumi tote bag, which I love. When I started making a little bit of money, that was the first thing I bought for myself. Instead of settling for hand-me-down luggage, I went out and got a whole Tumi set. Is it monogrammed? Yes, it is! They do it for free, and I had to be able to know that it’s mine at the airport. What’s funny is, when I first started dating my fiancé, Chloe Bridges, we actually met on a plane. When we met, she saw that I had monogrammed luggage. She said, ‘Oh, he must be put-together; he seems like an adult man.’ Little did she know, I was still a child at heart who just recently got a set of luggage.”

People may not be flying this summer, but road trips are becoming popular. What’s your best advice for those hitting the road?

“I have to get out and take a road trip. I’ve been meaning to. In a perfect world, I say get something that you can sleep in and really live out of. I want to get a Sprinter van or RV and just hit the road. I’m jealous of everybody out there doing it and going to all the cool national parks. Everyone’s sort of taking advantage of this downtime with their family and close friends that they’re living in the bubble with.”

Speaking of close friends, what was it like reuniting with Rebel Wilson for your show?

“I love Rebel. We call each other work husband and wife. It’s real. We care about each other so much, we’ve become such good friends, and when I asked her to do it, she immediately was like, ‘Sure, anything for you.’ And I feel the same way about her. I’d do anything with her, for her. We always talk about how we’re known as being comedy people. But we always thought it would be cool to do a straight-up action movie or a show where we could do stunts. I had the idea to have us do some cool action stunts on a Hollywood background and it was a really fun episode to shoot.”

If you could reunite with any of your former Modern Family cast members, who would it be?

“I love Sarah [Hyland] and I’m positive we’ll end up doing something together. We kind of run in the same circles. There’s already been a few projects that have come around that just didn’t work out this time. Somewhere down the road, I think we’ll do something together, just because we love hanging out and I feel like we do have good on-screen chemistry. Then, beyond that, Ty Burrell is so funny and Eric Stonestreet has become a buddy of mine, so really, any of those guys. I would love to work with any of them. They welcomed me with open arms and really made me feel like I was part of the family. Coming onto a show when it’s such a monster success, other shows might not have been so welcoming, but they were all so great. Truly, any of them. Ed O’Neill is a legend.”

Maybe they can all come along next time. In the future, what would you include in the ultimate adventure pack?

“Well, you definitely need a first-aid kit. With great adventure comes some horrible moments, and you have to stay safe, even if it’s just bringing a pack of bandaids. Then, you’re going to need some sort of flare or a handful of flares because you might get lost. You might get stuck somewhere and you have to be able to show the rescue helicopter where you are. Maybe a flare gun. Oh, that could be fun. You’re also going to need some rope and a pull with three hooks on it. It’s like in a spy movie, when they throw it up and they’re able to ascend and repel off the side of a building. That thing, for sure. You’re also going to want some breathable fabrics. Breathable fabrics are very important. I was not a huge proponent of breathable fabrics. I was like, ‘Fine, yeah, whatever, I’m just going to have some cotton T-shirts, but it was the Amazon.’ Cotton doesn’t work there because it immediately becomes soaking wet on your body and you can’t go to sleep. You can’t live a normal life because you’re always wet and extra heavy. I was actually turned on to Arc'teryx and some of these brands that are breathable and that you can wear and not immediately be taken down by humidity. You’re going to want to stuff your bag full of those as well. Oh, and don’t forget snacks. Are you going to need a packet of granola bars? How about beef jerky? Probably. Also, let’s stay hydrated, gang. Tons and tons of water.”

Lastly, who’s your emergency contact?

“My fiancé, Chloe, because she’s so on top of things. I feel like if I was stuck somewhere and needed help or was hurt in [another] country, she would just get on the phone and immediately start talking to the head of their government or something. I feel like she would also talk to the U.S. embassy right away. If I was her emergency contact, I would be so bad and wouldn’t figure anything out. You know what I would be good at? Delegating the responsibility to someone who would be good at it and that’s also a skill.”

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.