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A. If I travel for Christmas, I stay in the snow. It's a great recess from the perfect L.A. weather. For my parents' 40th wedding anniversary, we went to Haleiwa, Hawaii, and stayed on the North Shore. The swell was six inches, but the traditional Hawaiian pig roast and luau put on by the locals -- not to mention the snorkeling and the sea turtles hatching on the beach -- was worth the entire trip.

Q. What are your favorite hotels?

A. Two Bunch Palms Resort (https://twobunchpalms.com/) in Desert Hot Springs. Bacara Spa (http://meritagecollection.com/bacararesort/) in Santa Barbara. Casa Del Mar (https://www.hotelcasadelmar.com/), for a staycation in Santa Monica.

Q. What are some of your favorite cities?

A. Haleiwa, Prague, Cinque-Terre, New York, Minneapolis.

Q. Where have you traveled to that most reminded you of home?

A. My grandparents had a farm in Garner, Iowa, that I traveled to every weekend as a kid. My mother grew up on it so it is rife with emotions and history for me. For two years, we produced and shot a film there called "Garner, Iowa." The story was written by a family friend and is based on the people and the land. Filming there was a beautiful opportunity to achieve shots I feel truly capture the quiet beauty of the state and tell a story of my heritage.

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

A. Fan for sleeping, surfboard, running shoes and my top three favorite playlists. I'm pretty much set after that.

Q. What is your guilty pleasure when you're on the road?

A. Not keeping a schedule and sleeping in; eating fondue and lots and lots of cheese in Switzerland and having aimless conversations with locals about family lore over a cup of the best espresso in town.

Q. What kind of research do you do before you go away on a trip?

A. Project Save Our Surf water filter trips require a lot of planning and research for our team. We research information about the socio-economic state of the region, the source of water the villages are tapping from and we have to evaluate the levels of education we are assisting with.

Q. What is your best vacation memory?

A. (When I was a kid), my family hosted four foreign exchange students. They were very much family and have made their homes open to us in Europe. Staying with them and their families over the last two decades has made the world a smaller place. It seems like I have four brothers all over the globe and not enough birthday cards for their kids. When I travel to Europe and stay with my former exchange families, it reminds me of growing up in a small town in Iowa.

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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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