Comedy Writer Pat Regan on Travel, Romance, and His Dream Vacation

And as a New Yorker, he felt particularly connected to Sevigny’s episode. “Chloë, to me, is an icon of how to do New York right,” he said. “She is what we all pretend to be when we're in New York. It’s fast, it’s eclectic, and there are so many different worlds inside this one big city… there is always a rock to be overturned and looked under, and the W is part of that history.”

But he said there was one simple litmus test when it came to capturing New York City the right way: “Am I being how Carrie Bradshaw was being? If not, I better try harder!”

As a person who frequently travels for work, whether it be for his stand-up comedy or as part of his podcast Seek Treatment with Cat & Pat hosted with Cat Cohen, Regan has found ways to connect with new destinations on his own terms.

“For a long time, I was a big runner, so I love to see a city by running through it,” he said. Regan says he used to average around 90 miles per week and often used Google Maps to search for nearby bodies of water or open spaces without any intersections. He'd write the directions on his wrist, hope they wouldn't sweat off, and hit the road.

Some of his most memorable runs include a route just outside of Dublin, a jog through London's Hackney borough (including the arty Shoreditch neighborhood), and a trail following the Colorado River in Austin. “I don’t listen to music—it’s just my thoughts,” he said. “I like to feel completely unencumbered and free. It can be a little nerve-wracking in a foreign area, but I’ve never gotten quite lost.”

But as he's gotten a little older, Regan has started to switch things up. “Now I’m on the wrong side of 35,” he said. “I’m single, I’m gay. So, I’ve started lifting instead of running.”

Regan also likes to explore new places with a little retail therapy. But his focus is less on finding a new statement piece and more on people watching and chatting with strangers. “Some of the best conversations of my life are with counter girls,” he said. “In a strange sense, they’ve seen it all.”

As for love, he's had his share of on-the-road “whirlwind romances.” Sure, he's swiped around on dating apps, but it's more his style to just get out there—and it's led to some of his greatest travel adventures. A couple of years ago, amid a record-breaking European heat wave, he met a man after a show and hung out with his friends in hopes of a spark.

“I was trying to explain to the British people that in the U.S., our air conditioners make it colder—they're not just decor,” he said. “There was a tenor of madness that increased throughout the trip as I got hotter and hotter.”

Eventually, Regan realized it was 4 a.m., and he had a 7 a.m. flight to catch. 

On that same trip, while he was touring, he had to briefly leave the U.K. and return late due to some customs paperwork. However, that also meant he got to make his first trip to Paris—but he could only stay for 12 hours.

“I couldn’t sleep, so I walked around the gay nightlife area and into a bar, where I wouldn’t have called myself the belle of the ball,” he said with a laugh. “It was so late at night that I ended up making friends with these Russians that were kind of not popular either. But beggars can’t be choosers. So then I had one croissant and took the train back to England to do a show.”

Even if a trip turns out to be a misadventure, just getting to travel is still a thrill to Regan. After all, that European tour was his first time outside of the country. Growing up in a family of six, he didn't get the chance to travel very often when he was young. And when he was trying to break into TV writing and comedy, money was naturally tight then, too. But now he can take the trips he's always wanted to.

“I feel like I haven't seen what I want to see,” Regan said. “I want to prioritize travel.”

Some checkboxes on his travel wishlist include: Visiting his best friend’s home country of Australia, a trip back to Europe (maybe when it’s not so hot), and Japan. 

“The world can start to feel so small, so it’s just about getting outside of your reality, changing your perspective, and being like, ‘I'm very insignificant in a great way',” Regan said. “There's so much to be seen!”