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A. I'm in the process of planning a trip to Tahiti and Mo'orea. I'm dying to go! Anywhere that I can be in or near the ocean I'm the happiest person you'll ever meet.

Q. When you go away, what are some of your must-have items?

A. My biggest items include Vega One protein, Yerba Mate tea -- a little piece of home for long trips -- and then your standard laptop, headphones and my favorite Fuji Film camera for lots of photos. I write in my downtime.

Q. What would be your dream trip?

A. When I retire, I'm building a van and I'm going to travel Australia and Indonesia with it. Haven't figured out the details on how to get it everywhere, but a girl can dream. I'd also love to go to New Zealand. That's a bucket-lister for sure.

Q. What is your best and/or worst vacation memory?

A. The worst was when my dad took me for spring break to Atlanta, because he was working there. He had to be at the hospital for 30 minutes and then had promised me we would go explore for the rest of the day. I brought along my schoolwork. Soon 30 minutes turned into a couple hours, which turned into even more. We left eight hours later. I was very upset, but I finished my entire science fair project, so pretty solid day at least.

The worst? There are too many to even count. The best are the unexpected, unplanned trips. The ones that just happen while on a train or driving through a city and you just stumble upon something so gorgeous that takes your breath away or makes you take a step back and appreciate how lucky you are.

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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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