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A. London, because of the rain.

Q. Where would you like to go that you have never been to before?

A. More of Asia. Japan, Hong Kong. I've never done any of that. Shanghai. Moscow. I've never been anywhere in South America. I'd love to go to Brazil.

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

A. I like to travel light and I usually pick a kind of theme for clothing for the trip. Like maybe I'll go to London and it'll be all suits, or I'll bring all linen clothes for Bali. That's how ridiculously I travel. I don't think there is any must-have item. A toothbrush helps. You can get that basically anywhere. The only think you really need is your passport. You can buy stuff when you get there. I'm a big supporter of buying stuff when you get there, because then you have new stuff you've never seen.

Q. What would be your dream trip?

A. Going around and doing a proper tour of India for a couple months would be an incredible trip. I know it's a '60s hippie cliché. For me, it'd be looking at my own culture and seeing what India itself is like. I've been such a part of the diaspora my whole life. Just to know what India itself is like would be interesting.

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

A. Not too much. I don't want to see all the places on Google images before we get there. If it's a long trip, I usually try planning the first week, but I don't over plan, because you want to be able to roll with the punches and go and see interesting things and dip off here and there. So plan the first week and then if you have more time, wing it. That's what I would do.

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

A. I don't know if this is the best vacation memory, but it's a memory. It's taking a boat from Barcelona and doing a stopover in the cities leading up to Rome, and then getting off at Rome and just having a lovely time. I love Rome. My worst vacation story? I haven't had one yet. I'll have to let you know.

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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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