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Celebrity Travel: Go Away With Tracey Heggins

By Jae-Ha Kim, Tribune Media Services on

Los Angeles-based actress Tracey Heggins knows how fortunate she is. Besides appearing in Common's indie film "LUV," the statuesque actress also plays Senna -- one of the Amazonian vampires -- in "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2." "It was so much fun shooting 'Twilight' in Squamish (which is halfway between Whistler and Vancouver, B.C.)," says Heggins. "It was a really amazing experience. Then we shot in Baton Rouge going up to New Orleans. There's no city like New Orleans. We went into all these little voodoo stores, which were interesting. I love the French Quarter. They did a great job of making the French Quarter look like France. I remember when I was in France; I kept thinking how much it reminded me of New Orleans!"

Fans may keep in touch with Heggins by following her on Twitter (at)traceyheggins.

Q. What have you brought back from a trip?

A. I was in Paris not long ago and I brought home croissants and macaroons. They can blab all they want about their croissants, because they're really good. The food in general was amazing in France. All the ingredients tasted so fresh. I was wondering why their apples were so little and delicious and it's because they're not genetically modified to be bigger. I love being home, but if I could've brought back more of their food, I would've been so happy.

Q. How disciplined are you about staying fit when you're on vacation?

A. I work out really hard before I get to work and when it's done, I let my body play. On "Twilight," the role was very physical. Because of some of the stunts that I had to do, I was very disciplined. I like being in cities like Paris and New York, where there's a very big walking culture and really good mass transit, so you don't have to drive everywhere like in Los Angeles. I love L.A., but I think it'd be complete Utopia if you didn't have to rely on driving so much here.

Q. Do you remember traveling with your family when you were growing up?

A. When I was little, we went to Chicago and Baltimore. I'm from the Mojave Desert, where it's wide and open. The first time I was in Chicago, I was amazed. The buildings were so close and large and I couldn't stop looking at how tall they were. I didn't start traveling abroad until I was older.

Q. What's the longest time period you stayed overseas?

A. About five years ago, I went to Auckland, New Zealand. I was signed with an agency out there doing commercials and trying to do some acting. I went for about eight months. I lived with African girls from Sudan and Senegal. It was so interesting because we looked completely different. The first thing they asked me was, "Why do you call yourself African-American?" It was really nice, because then they were explaining African history to me. It was really beautiful, because I was so ignorant to the world until I got there.

Q. Are you an adventurous eater when you travel?

A. I used to be until I had a "Bridesmaids" moment! And it was with sushi on the street. I love food trucks, but I just have to be more discriminatory now. When I was in Vancouver, they have these hotdogs that are Asian themed, so they'll put noodles and other things on them. Next time, I'm just going to go for it!

Q. In what city did you have your best meal?

 

A. Wow. I'm such a foodie that it's difficult to narrow it down to one place. But I'll say Paris. I had some really delicious meals there, even Indian food. I actually had the best Indian food when I was in France. It was amazing. In some ways, food dictates my traveling. I want to go to places where I want to eat their food. I can out eat any man.

Q. Ask the locals, or ask the concierge?

A. Locals! I was just in the Dominican Republic and I got to see where the locals hung out. I love getting out there and seeing things that are a little off the tourist track and the best way to do that is to make friends and ask people what they'd recommend. If you stay at the Hard Rock Hotel -- which I love, by the way -- you can't really get the full experience. You need to get out there and explore.

Q. What do you think would be a fun vacation?

A. I'd like to get to a yoga retreat in Mexico some day. I love yoga.

Q. What's on your travel bucket list?

A. I would love to go to Egypt, Ethiopia, Fiji, Cape Verde, Thailand. I'd like to get to Prague one day. I keep hoping I'll get more movies that film in these places! When you're filming, you have a whole crew to travel with.

Q. For people who want to travel more but don't necessarily want to go overseas, what tip do you give them?

A. If you love movies, then you can check out your local film festival and make a day of it. And if you like that, then make plans to go to a fest in another city, like the Sundance Film Festival. Utah is a great place. It's clean, safe and the people are wonderful. There's always something to do and plenty of good food to eat. I love all the trucks outside, waiting for people to grab a quick bite. They have these gourmet trucks that sell things like lobster rolls that are so delicious. I love the idea of using films to get people to travel.

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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.


(c) 2012 DISTRIBUTED BY TRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICES, INC.

 

 

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