Celebrity Travel: Go Away With Judy Joo
Q. What's the most important thing you've learned from your travels?
A. Traveling puts life into perspective. You have to appreciate what you have and all of the opportunities and freedoms that are available to you. I've learned a lot about myself and the world from traveling. Most of the problems we have are first-world problems and not worth stressing over. Life is like a book, and if you don't travel you are only reading one page. My grandfather used to say that the seven continents and five oceans of the world were our home, and I do feel like a citizen of the world.
Q. Have you traveled to a place that stood out so much that you felt compelled to incorporate it into your work?
A. I really loved the fusion of cuisines in Sao Paolo, Brazil. Japanese culture is strong there and the resultant mix of Japanese-Brazilian cuisine is so interesting and incredibly tasty. The punchy South American spices meld well with Japanese food. I do similar things with my Korean-American and Korean-Mexican dishes that I have on my menu.
Q. Where are your favorite weekend getaways?
A. From London, I'll hop on the train and go to Paris or Brussels. It is just so easy not having to go to the airport. Otherwise, I'll go to the countryside for a spa retreat at Stoke Park and a game of tennis. When I'm in New York, I'll go to Jersey to see my family and play with my nephews -- absolute bliss!
Q. What are your five favorite cities?
A. New York, London, San Francisco, Seoul, Tokyo.
Q. Where would you like to go that you have never been to before?
A. Pitcairn Island, New Zealand, Tasmania, North Korea, Cuba, the Amazon, Patagonia.
Q. When you go away, what are some of your must-have items?
A. SPF 50-plus sunscreen, a good sun hat, lightweight sneakers, smartphone, warm socks and sweater, good lip balm, face moisturizer, Korean body scrub cloth and my light Herve Chapelier mega tote bag to throw everything into.
Q. What is your guilty pleasure when you're on the road?
A. Pringles potato chips out of the mini bar.
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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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