Elizabeth Taylor’s Assistant on Star Traveling with an Entourage (Exclusive)

Elizabeth Taylor cherished sharing her love of travel with those closest to her.

Speaking with PEOPLE about the late superstar’s love of travel, her estate cotrustee and former executive assistant Tim Mendelson recalls the star’s love of traveling big — with a lot of people and things in tow.

“She’d want to take a lot with her,” Mendelson tells PEOPLE.

“She always traveled with tons of clothes, tons of suitcases, particularly with Richard [Burton, one of her husbands]. She usually had an entourage — hairdresser, animals, pets. When the kids were young, you’re talking about an entourage of 20 people. They had a photographer that traveled everywhere with them, and security.”

When it came to nailing the fashion moments she was famous for, Taylor “always took tons of jewels and different options in terms of clothing — a wardrobe full of things.”

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“I think she and Richard has 144 carpet bags. They had these trunks that they traveled with, plus the kids and the nannies and the secretaries, and usually a hairdresser,” Mendelson continues. “There were the pets, the animals. When I was with her, Sugar [her dog] always came with us. But she had this parrot Alvin in the ’80s, and I think he would sometimes even travel with her.”

While some celebrities might catch flack for such excess, it added to the mystique around Taylor that caused her to be revered by so many adoring fans.

“When I was traveling with Elizabeth, I observed that you can be rich, you could be a multi-multi-billionaire, but you couldn’t buy the kind of attention, the kind of service, the kind of excitement [that came] around her going places,” Mendelson recalls.

“Elizabeth Taylor, she’s global, beloved all around the world. The way that they would roll out the red carpet for her and how everyone was so excited for her to be there, that’s what occurred to me,” he shares. “It doesn’t matter how much money you have, you could never get the kind of attention, and service and excitement. There was true luxury around her, really, because of the way she was treated like a queen.”

Taylor enjoyed getting the best of the best treatment, but also made sure that it was extended to everyone by her side.

“She didn’t put people in different classes,” Mendelson continues. “I traveled with her and I always sat next to her. Everybody traveled first class, and she had a suite and we all stayed in the rooms right next to hers. She was very democratic in that sense. Sometimes it felt like [a situation where] we don’t have to send everyone first [class], but there was never any question about that.”

In return for her generosity, there was one thing she asked of those who traveled with her.

“She wanted to make sure that we were taking advantage of where we were and doing things. You could get lazy, especially if you’re in a really beautiful hotel, and not really want to go out, but she definitely encouraged us to learn about the culture,” he shares.

Mendelson recalls a trip to Thailand, where Taylor told the group about a particular quality in late husband Mike Todd that she appreciated.

“She said one of the things that she loved about Mike Todd and respected about him is that the minute they would land, he started to ask questions,” Mendelson says. “If they were in a cab or whoever the driver was, by the time they got to the destination of the hotel, Mike would’ve learned about the local politics, the economy, the people, the society. He just was so the curious and wanted to learn about everything.”

He adds, “And I know the reason she was telling us that is because, ‘Hey, I brought you guys to Thailand, learn about it, take advantage of the situation.’ “