Celebrity Travel: Go Away With Nelufar Hedayat
A. This is hard, but I've whittled it down to: London, L.A., Kuala Lumpur, Lagos and Mecca. I love them all for very different reasons.
Q. Where would you like to go that you have never been to before?
A. Antarctica, Papua and New Guinea, Madagascar, Russia, Kazakhstan, North Korea. The list goes on. The more I travel, the bigger the world seems to get. It's a wonder all unto itself.
Q. What is your guilty pleasure when you're on the road?
A. I always try to save along the way, staying at very basic places so that the last three days are five-star. When my friend and I traveled around Thailand, in the beginning, we slummed it. Really, we did. But then, at the end of the trip, we were living in paradise on Phi Phi Islands with massages every day and a private balcony.
Q. What kind of research do you do before you go away on a trip?
A. If it's for work, then infinitely detailed stuff -- collecting maps, calling other journalists who have been there recently, getting embassy advice and much more. If it's personal, I literally show up and get a ride into town. I was in Sri Lanka for holiday earlier this year and that's exactly what I did, solo, and had the best time. I ended up down south and even got my diving license, which sets me up for the Philippines next time.
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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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