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A. I was nine years old traveling with my hockey team in northern Saskatchewan. I'll never forget having colored marshmallows with hot chocolate. I never knew colored marshmallows existed, let alone having them with hot chocolate.

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

A. Since I've been able to travel the world, I think I subconsciously incorporate a lot of it into my work. How lucky am I that I'm able to, you know? For example, last year I was shooting my movie "Strange Weather" with Holly Hunter. I was able to travel to Maine to meet the real guy who I was about to play in that film. I hung out with him; I learned his accent from him; I ate the same food he did. When I get to travel, I think I soak it all in as much as I can.

Q. Where have you traveled to that most reminded you of home?

A. There's something about the people in the Maritimes (Eastern Canada) that remind me so much of home. There's just something similar about the people from there and the people from the prairies. They'd all just give you the shirt off their backs and there's nothing wrong with that.

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

A. Iceland.

Q. What are your favorite hotels?

A. Ask my youngest daughter Brenna. She's our little hotel queen and knows all about hotels. For me, it's any hotel that's next to, or really close to, a golf course. Answer Option No. 2: the Ritz-Carlton in Berlin.

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

A. Altoids, Swiss Army Knife, my small music box and a book of Sudoku.

Q. What are your five favorite cities?

A. Paris, New York, London, Montreal and Vancouver ... not necessarily in that order. Q. What are your favorite restaurants?

A. I have a few, obviously, but we love trying new places. My wife and I just discovered the Stocking Frame in downtown Los Angeles. Their different array of tapas dishes is amazing, their beer selection is international and exquisite and, to top it off, it's got an (amazing) shuffleboard table. What's not to love about a place like that?!

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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.)

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