Celebrity Travel: Go away with Katie Rich

Jae-Ha Kim, Tribune Content Agency on Nov 30, 2021

A: We were going to have a lovely trip to Seattle, which is one of my favorite places – so much so that I went there spring break my senior year in high school. We also were going to go to Mexico to see Phish, so that got postponed as well. But I actually think we ended up traveling more than ever just in the Midwest, tooling around in our little Honda Fit.

Q: What untapped destination should people know about?

A: The Madeira Islands off the coast of Portugal. I lived and performed on a cruise ship for four months and we actually crossed the Atlantic, going from Miami to Europe. We were trapped on a ship for a week, and this was in 2007 when internet on a ship cost, like, $20 a minute and we were all going insane and just wanted to be on land. The first place we docked was the Madeira Islands and none of us knew anything about them really. We stepped off the ship into a magic land of purple trees and bobsleds that take you down hills and we couldn't believe it.

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

A: I was lucky enough to get to go to Naples, Italy, which is where my family is from. To be honest, I didn't expect it to be as comforting as it was, but man, did I love it there. It's a gritty town that doesn't really clean itself up for visitors and it reminded me of home so much.

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

A: Alaska!

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

A: I always bring a white noise machine, a deck of cards, and a roll of toilet paper. I know that sounds insane, but that toilet paper has come in handy more than once.

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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.)