Celebrity Travel: Go Away With Caitriona Balfe
Born in Monaghan, Ireland, a resident of Los Angeles and currently working around Glasgow, Scotland, actress Caitriona Balfe says she can relate to her time-traveling character, Claire Randall, in the Starz series "Outlander." "I've lived in Los Angeles and New York for long periods of time," says the 34-year-old actress. "And now I'm in Glasgow. It's not like having different lives in each place, but each is unique. The country is a key character in the series. The Scottish Highlands are incredible. There seems to be magic and poetry everywhere."
Q. What is your favorite vacation destination?
A. Post Ranch in Big Sur, California. I first discovered Post Ranch Inn when my best friend came to see me when I first moved to Los Angeles. He had just broken up with his boyfriend and we took an emergency break-up trip to Big Sur. It was probably a strange choice to stay there as it is so romantic, but it's also such a restorative place -- very healing. I've since gone a few times on more appropriate romantic getaways.
Q. To someone who was going there, what would you recommend that they do during their visit?
A. Hike in the morning, Bloody Mary lunch at Nepenthe and relax by the pool, have a massage, and do dinner at Deetjen’s Big Sur Inn.
Q. What untapped destination should people know about?
A. Mongolia. I saw a documentary on the Naadam festival that happens in Mongolia during the summer. One of the features of it is a horse race across the plains that all the young men enter -- some as young as 12 years old. It's such a spectacular sight. It's incredible to think that this is a tradition that has been going on for centuries. That's one of the reasons I hope to travel there, and also just because it is such a stunningly beautiful place.
Q. What was the first trip you took as a child?
A. I didn't start traveling abroad until I was 17, but I spent many summers on the beaches of Donegal in Ireland.
Q. What's the most important thing you've learned from your travels?
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