Celebrity Travel: Go Away With Steve Hely
A. There were towns in Ireland where, as a Massachusetts kid, I was like, "Yup, I get this. I've seen this before." More than anything, the people reminded me of my aunts and family members I'd grown up around. Probably no accident -- no doubt if we did the genealogy charts they weren't too far.
Q. Where would you like to go that you have never been to before?
A. Africa. That's an overwhelming answer: it's a huge continent. I want to see all of it and I don't know where to start! I live near Little Ethiopia here in Los Angeles, where the food and hospitality is so welcoming, so maybe that's first up.
Q. When you go away, what are some of your must-have items?
A. A good book to read. Everything else you can get there, but good books in English can be hard to find. On the other hand, if you chance it to luck, sometimes you find some great new books. So, I guess, take nothing.
Q. What would be your dream trip?
A. I'd love to be plopped down in some town somewhere in Brazil with orders not to come back for three months.
Q. What kind of research do you do before you go away on a trip?
A. Obsessive checking of web forums, message boards. If Anthony Bourdain has been there, I'm definitely gonna check where he went. The Lonely Planet books are still just amazing. I can't believe the army of intelligent, engaged people they have around the world. But better than anything is talking to someone who's been there or, better yet, lived there.
Q. What is your best and/or worst vacation memory?
A. My family is all pasty, fair-skinned people who fear the sun, so we would go to the beach at four or five p.m. Everyone would be leaving and we'd just be showing up. Those evenings were pretty much magic. Sailing from Panama to Colombia on a catamaran with 17 ragtag Australian, European and American wanderers was also impossibly great. (That) has to go down as one of the best.
Worst might be driving my grandfather's second cousin from Abruzzo into the heart of Rome. Driving in Rome requires a Jason Bourne-level of concentration and skill and fearlessness. When I finally got out of the car, I was drenched in sweat, terrified and wildly exhilarated. I looked down and there was the Coliseum. So, (that was the) best and worst.
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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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