Fairbanks moved in the circles of the most famous American actors. He was a good friend of Charlie Chaplin, who was also his partner in the movie business.
In January 1931, Fairbanks boarded the Belgenland in San Francisco. Victor Fleming, who would later direct the well-known films Gone with the Wind and The Wizard of Oz, was also on the passenger list. During the voyage, they together filmed the documentary Around the World in 80 Minutes with Douglas Fairbanks, both appearing in it themselves. Fairbanks left the cruise early, disembarking in Bangkok in order to go hunting. Their film was a flop.