Anthony Bourdain admits to traveling with a hidden knife in his credit card

Anthony Bourdain attends the 65th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards. (Reuters)

At this point in his career, Anthony Bourdain has nailed the art of packing.

As someone who spends more time on the road than at home, the host of CNN’s "Parts Unknown" has expertly curated his list of what to put in his suitcase. He knows exactly what’s worth taking and what’s better left at home.

However, Bourdain’s packing list is, like the man himself sometimes, a bit surprising.

In an interview with The New York Times, Bourdain revealed that he travels with a “sneaky credit card that turns into a knife” on every trip. Although he admitted that the knife is not of the highest caliber, “it might be a rude surprise should someone grab you from behind as you enter your hotel room,” he said.

Also in his luggage is a sweatshirt or light down jacket that can double as a pillow, three or four Moleskine notebooks, a couple of gi (or jiu-jitsu uniforms), and at least one physical book, which is generally a work of fiction.

There are a few other things Bourdain revealed in the interview. Like fellow celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay, he doesn’t eat the food on airplanes and prefers to do his dining in the airport.

He also advised travelers to show up at the airport ready for security. Bourdain doesn’t pack liquids or gels in his carry-on, he goes through without a belt or any jewelry, and he complies with TSA rules “like a recidivist convict.”