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Celebrity Travel: Go Away With Carla Renata

By Jae-Ha Kim, Tribune Content Agency on

For Carla Renata, like is pretty sweet right now. Besides her role on the CW's "Hart of Dixie," which is in its final season, she has recurring roles on "Shake It Up," "How to Live with Your Parents" and "Mr. Box Office." A graduate of Howard University, the actress appeared on Broadway and won an NAACP Theatre Awards nomination for her work in "The Lion King." An avid traveler, Renata often shares some of her favorite memories from her recent travels and her days as part of a USO troop performing overseas. Fans may follow her on Twitter at https://twitter.com/carenata.

Q. What is your favorite vacation destination?

A. Australia. I didn't make it to Perth, but I went all over Australia. I was working over there long enough that I could take vacations. If I could figure out a way to make a living there, I would move there. The food is to die for. Everything is fresh and prepared spectacularly and the people are really loving and warm. The theater and arts scene is wonderful. I felt like I was in the States, but I wasn't. My favorite places there are Melbourne and Sydney, followed closely by the Gold Coast -- it is right smack dab on the ocean. I don't want to live on the ocean, because it's kind of cold. And I don't dig the cold. But I like things that are scenic and beautiful to look at. And it was beautiful.

Q. What is your worst vacation memory?

A. I went hiking at Ayers Rock (in Australia) and I heard a noise that sounded like a gunshot going off. I couldn't ascertain what the noise was. I had torn my calf muscle. I continued the three-hour hike and was already two hours and 30 minutes into it before I had to stop because it was so painful. There were no stairs or an emergency team to help get you down, so I had to scoot down on my booty the entire way. I should've known better, because I had heard that someone had chased after their hat that blew off and fell off there. That should've been my clue not to do it.

Q. What untapped destination should people know about?

 

A. Turkey is beautiful. I did USO tours for the Department of Defense back in my college years. There was a lot of political unrest there at the time, but we went because our troops were there. Turkey was a little dangerous, and at the time I kind of wished I hadn't gone. But when we got to the base where the troops were, they were so appreciative of our presence. They were happy to get some entertainment in our cute little costumes. (Laughs)

Q. Did you travel a lot with the USO?

A. Yes. It was really fun and enlightening being an armed forces performer for the troops. Even though my father is a former Marine, I had no idea what service in the military was like until I did that tour. I did it twice, actually. First was the Mediterranean part of Europe and then second was the Far East, where we went to Japan, Korea and the Philippines. ... They took us out in the middle of the Indian Ocean where we performed on aircraft carriers. That was an experience. I love looking at the ocean, but I don't particularly enjoy being on it.

Q. Are you an adventurous eater on the road?

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