Celebrity Travel: Go away with Zibby Allen

A: I recently visited a little seaside town on the Oregon coast called Manzanita. It’s quaint with essentially one small street that serves as downtown. It’s lined with wonderful bakeries, cafes and an awesome winery where you can bring your dog and sit by a fire pit while you sip on wine and eat their deliciously prepared snacks. The beach is absolutely stunning for walks and relaxation. It’s great for a couples’ trip or small family getaway.

Q: What was the first trip you took as a child?

A: My first trip as a kid was to Yosemite. I grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area so Yosemite was an easy-to-get-to destination for my family. We’d go every other year or so when I was young. Even though I was quite young, I still remember feeling a deep appreciation for Yosemite's vastness.

Q: What's the most important thing you've learned from your travels?

A: Not to skimp on accommodations or flights, like signing up for four layovers versus one just to save a little bit of money. Anytime I have, I’ve regretted it deeply. If you’re going to travel, do it well. No point in compromising, because there’s nothing worse than coming home from a trip and feeling like you need a vacation from your vacation.

Q: Do you have any summer trips lined up?

A: Well, we just returned from a month-long stay in Edinburgh and Northern Ireland. We were finally able to re-book that trip. So now that I'm back, it's time to hunker down and detox before we jump into filming season five of “Virgin River.” My next vacation will have to wait until I’m on a break again. Maybe we'll re-book that Hawaii trip.

Q: If you've ever gone away for the holidays, which was the best trip?

A: It’s always Christmas in Scotland. The Christmas markets, the cozy pub life, fireplaces, dear friends and chunky sweaters all just make this California girl feel like she’s having a real winter holiday. Plus the whole city of Edinburgh is generally just magical over the holidays.

Q: What would be your dream trip?

A: Greece! Any of the islands. All of the islands. I’m dying to experience Greece. I think three to four weeks in Greece staying on various islands would be so dreamy. It’s a long time to be away but I don’t like feeling like a tourist. I like immersing myself in the places I’m staying, slowly on easy time.

Q: What is your best vacation memory?

A: One of my best vacation memories of all time was in Fiji close to 10 years ago now. I was floating on my back in the warm turquoise ocean one day. I was so relaxed it was like I was asleep. At some point I opened my eyes and just to my left was a massive sea turtle just kind of half swimming, half drifting next to me! We just sort of hung out, side by side for what felt like a really long while. I couldn’t believe it. I had the impulse to call out for someone to take a photo or just like witness it! But we were both so peaceful and so relaxed that I honestly couldn’t bother. Eventually it swam away, but what a special present little moment that was. I’ll never forget it.

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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.)