Celebrity Travel: Go Away With Mariana van Zeller and Michael Voltaggio

Journalist Mariana van Zeller and celebrity chef Michael Voltaggio star in the Travel Channel series, "Breaking Borders." In each episode, the duo travels to a different country and reports on the differences -- and similarities -- of various cultures. Asked what they've taken away from their travels, Voltaggio says, "Don't judge a book by its cover." Van Zeller adds, "There's a whole world out there that is very different than where we live. (Travel has given me) perspective and tolerance." Fans may follow the Los Angeles-based television personalities on Twitter at https://twitter.com/marianavz and https://twitter.com/MVoltaggio.

Q. What is your favorite vacation destination?

A. Michael: Recently, I went to the Round Hill resort in Jamaica and in four days I swam with dolphins, held a shark, climbed a waterfall, ate sea urchin out of the ocean and consumed my body weight in jerk chicken.

Q. Where are your favorite weekend getaways?

A. Mariana: Camping along the California coast with my husband and 4-year-old son.

Q. What untapped destination should people know about?

A. Michael: Cuba. It's now becoming a little more accessible to the U.S., and we should all be open to improving this relationship and experiencing its beauty and culture.

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

A. Mariana: Mongolia. I've been wanting to go there since I was a kid. And for the past five years or so I've had an alert on Google news for anything related to the country. I'm always on the hunt for stories that will get my boss to send me there on assignment. So, if you know of any, please send them my way.

Q. What was the first trip you took as a child?

A. Michael: I grew up in Maryland and some of my early travels were just heading out to the eastern shore. I remember hanging raw chicken in a basket off the back of a dock and catching fresh blue crabs. Then we just took them inside, steamed them and covered them in old bay. No reservations needed.

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

A. Mariana: Books, articles, documentaries -- everything I can get my hands on. I use an app, which saves everything I want into offline mode, since a lot of the reading and viewing is done on planes.

Q. What are your favorite hotels?

A. Michael: I love hotel rooms so much that recently when I returned from a trip, I went to a mattress store and simply said, "I would like a bed that feels like a hotel bed." It's the simple things that make a difference. However, the room service at the NoMad Hotel in New York City is as good as eating in the restaurant, and that's impressive.

Q. What is your best and/or worst vacation memory?

A. Mariana: When I was 12 years old, I went to France for a long-awaited summer program. A month in an idyllic castle surrounded by sports and fun activities turned out to be a miserable week in a decrepit mansion with a crazy couple who owned and ran the place and often had screaming matches and food fights in front of the kids. (They) literally threw food at each other. It might have been fun if it hadn't been so terrifying!

Q. Have you traveled to a place that stood out so much that you felt compelled to incorporate it into your work?

A. Michael: Yes. Everywhere I travel I bring back a souvenir that I can apply to my work in the kitchen. A tool, a recipe, a flavor, a combination. ... For instance, the use of coconut in Sri Lanka in savory cooking.

Q. What are your five favorite cities?

A. Mariana: Lisbon, Los Angeles, Rio de Janeiro, Damascus (before the Syrian war) and Mexico City.

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

A. Mariana: Shopping. I'm a shopaholic when I travel. I have a large collection of artifacts from all over the world at my house, some of which I keep in drawers until I find a place to display them.

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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.