Celebrity Travel: Go Away With Bert Kreischer

A. I traveled to Costa Rica recently and it stood out so much that I actually thought about buying a house down there as a rental property so I could show people how beautiful the people and country are. I've never met a nicer, more beautiful group of laid-back people in my entire life. Their motto is pura vida (which means pure life) and they literally live it every single day. The fact that the oceans are gorgeous, the weather is perfect and you can take five steps to get to a jungle and go whitewater rafting makes Costa Rica one of those places that make me want to put down roots.

Q. Where are your favorite weekend getaways?

A. Catalina Island is by far my favorite weekend getaway. It's a short boat ride from Long Beach and after a little bus trip over the hill, you are in the most picturesque camping area you could ever imagine. I literally feel like I am sitting on a coast in Greece, staring up at the cliffs and out at the crystal blue water.

Q. Where would you like to go that you have never been to before?

A. I am dying to go to the Far East. As a matter of fact, last night I had a dream that I flew to China.

Q. When you go away, what are some of your must-have items?

A. I definitely cannot travel without my Ultimate Ears noise-reduction headsets that are the same ones performing artists use when they play in stadiums so they can hear the monitors and themselves singing. They make flying absolutely silent. I also need my gray hoodie to pull over my eyes so I can sleep. Besides those two, my other must-haves are my iPad mini, iPhone, computer, podcast equipment, GoPro and Canon camera. Plus, a pair of jeans, workout clothes, a good pair of flip-flops, a bathing suit, a handful of T-shirts and I'm set. It should be noted I didn't mention underwear.

Q. What would be your dream/fantasy trip?

A. Me and my wife alone for two weeks on a sailboat sailing through Micronesia.

Q. What is your guilty pleasure when you're on the road?

A. When it comes to the road, I don't know if I could nail down one specific guilty pleasure. Some may argue I am defined by my many guilty pleasures.

Q. What kind of research do you do before you go away on a trip?

A. I do fairly extensive research and it starts with YouTube. A lot of times I look for cool videos of people doing cool things in the place I'm going to -- so I can do the exact same cool thing, sometimes with the exact people that are doing it on YouTube.

Q. What is your best vacation memory?

A. My best vacation memory ever was sailing through the Virgin Islands with my entire family just before I went to college. My dad and I would sit out on the back of the boat every night, have a cigar and fish while tied up to a mooring.

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Jae-Ha Kim is a New York Times bestselling author and travel writer. You can respond to this column by visiting her website at www.jaehakim.com. You may also follow "Go Away With..." on Twitter at @GoAwayWithJae where Jae-Ha Kim welcomes your questions and comments.