Celebrity Travel: Go Away With Scott Parazynski
A. I vividly remember my first exposure to scuba diving when we were living in Dakar, Senegal (when I was) 11. A couple of older kids strapped a huge scuba rig on my back and gave me the simple instructions: "Come back up when you run out of air!" Thankfully, the harbor where I first dove was only 30 or 40 feet at its deepest, and I cheated death and the bends that day. Moreover, I was hooked for life on the undersea world. The freedom of motion and the sense of weightlessness there made me dream of one day flying in space.
Q. If you've ever gone away for the holidays, which was the best trip?
A. As a young kid -- maybe 13 years old -- we had Christmas at the foot of Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. Although lacking in Christmas trees, being on safari with my parents and staring up at the mountain is something I'll never forget. I remember wondering to myself, "What would it look and feel like to stand atop that snow-covered peak?" Although I've yet to hike Kili, it's on my extensive bucket list. My wife shares my sense of adventure and fitness, so I can't wait to share the summit with her and possibly my son, who's a strong hiker, too.
Q. What are your five favorite cities?
A. Paris, San Pedro de Atacama (Chile), Namche Bazar (Nepal), New York City, Sydney.
Q. Where would you like to go that you have never been to before?
A. Although my wife and I have been married for some time, we've yet to take our dream honeymoon. We have targeted at least a couple of weeks on Bora Bora, diving every day.
Q. When you go away, what are some of your must-have items?
A. Now that I have a company (Fluidity Technologies) that develops control systems for everything that moves in physical and virtual space, I must have a drone with me on vacation -- for fun and to document the scenery.
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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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