A bunch of celebrities who have travelled far and wide chat about their great and not-so-great holiday experiences with Priyanka Haldipur
Pooja Bedi
I’ll never go back to.... Alaska. I haven’t ever been there, but I know for a fact that I wouldn’t be able to take its cold.
I never travel without...
My passport and credit cards which I will need for all the crazy shopping I always end up doing and for the tons of souvenirs that I bring back.
My top travel tip...
Do in Rome as the Romans do. I believe that when one goes to a new place, he has to experiment with the cuisine of that place, soak in as much as he can and explore the beauty of the place on his own instead of making a beeline for the popular tourist spots there.
When I am travelling I always miss... Actually, once I have come back, I always end up missing the fact that I didn’t take enough photographs of the place.
My idea of paradise... A deserted island with just George Clooney and me, and lots of champagne. (laughs)
My favourite hotel..
The Oberoi Mauritius Turtle Bay
I can’t get enough of... It’ll have to be Italy! I love its people, culture, the coastline, the vineyards, the cobble streets, all its sights and sounds.
I always bring back... Magnets! My daughter collects fridge magnets. I also bring back shot glasses cos’ that is something that I collect.
My most memorable meal... One that I had in Italy. The chef in one of the restaurants I went to knew my Dad well, so he treated us to a 20-course meal that lasted for three whole hours. (laughs)
The best beach I’ve ever seen... Any beach in Thailand is scenic and simply amazing!
I’d like to...
Go deep sea fishing in Maldives, go on an African Safari and go skiing in Switzerland.
My favourite view is... The one from the top of a mountain in Austria. We went to the Ice Caves where just about everything was made of ice. It had some lovely, natural ice sculptures.
Abhijeet Bhattacharya
I’ll never go back to....
Darjeeling. Only because it was one place that I had always wanted to visit as a child, but when I did get there, I was thoroughly disappointed with how dirty tourists had left it.
I never travel without...
My toothbrush and toothpaste. I have been to some really swanky hotels abroad that don’t have toothbrushes to provide to those who have forgotten their’s back home.
My top travel tip... Travel light! Especially if you are making a trip abroad. There will be so many things that you want to bring back home but may not be able to if there is no space left in your suitcase.
When I am travelling I always miss... Home-cooked food.
My idea of paradise... Switzerland, with the one I love.
My favourite hotel... The Taj... whichever part of the world it may be in!
I can’t get enough of... Sleep.
I always bring back...
Myself.
My most memorable meal... Every meal that my mom has cooked for me so far. She is bedridden now and I miss her food lots.
The best beach I’ve ever seen... Las Palmas in Spain.
I’d like to... Go to the beaches of Miami. I have been to Miami ten times so far, but never been to any of its beaches.
My favourite view is... The one from my friend’s apartment in Hong Kong.
Lakshmi Gopalaswamy
I’ll never go back to.... Fortunately, I haven’t had bad experiences in any place to make me not want to go back there.
I never travel without... My cell phone and diary.
My top travel tip...
Don’t go with any pre-conceived notions about a place. Just enjoy everything as it happens!
Use all your senses while travelling. Only that way will you truly be able to enjoy a destination.
When I am travelling I always miss... Filter coffee! And sometimes just plain rasam and rice.
My idea of paradise...
I am yet to experience a place that I can term ‘paradise’.
My favourite hotel.. Le Meridien, Kovalam
I can’t get enough of...
Konark temple.
I always bring back..
Good memories. I am not a souvenirs person and feel that they just clutter up my place.
My most memorable meal... the breakfast that I had in a shack on Baga Beach, Goa. It was a humble meal — just orange juice and omelettes, but one of the best that I have ever eaten. I tried locating that shack on my next visit to Goa, but never could, since there were 20 shacks in its place! (laughs)
The best beach I’ve ever seen... all the ones in Goa. The spirit of Goa is something else!
I’d like to...
Travel to Laos. My brother worked in one of its villages and he says that he has never heard people laugh the way people do there.
My favourite view is...
The one from Kudremukh peak. I am glad that it is not accessible to the general public anymore. People would just have ruined the beauty of the place with litter.
Nina Manuel
I’ll never go back to.... Can’t think of a place.
I never travel without... money and my phone.
My top travel tip...
Be streetsmart!
When I am travelling I always miss...
My Mom’s food and my bed!
My idea of paradise... I step out of my bed and right in front of me there’s a sea! I step out of home and right in front of me there’s a shopping mall. Any place where I can lay by a pool or take a dive in the sea!
My favourite hotel... Sun Island Resort, Maldives
I can’t get enough of... A holiday!!
I always bring back...
A suitcase full of new clothes and shoes. I am a complete shopping freak and I DON’T NEED HELP!
My most memorable meal...
The one that my boyfriend cooked for me. It was a simple one... just pasta, but the sentiment behind it meant so much!
The best beach I’ve ever seen... Maldives has many great beaches! Clean and untouched.
I’d like to... Go to Japan and Argentina and Mexico.
My favourite view is...
When I was sailing on a long lake in Vietnam, swamps on either sides, and I could see the rain approaching us! It was superb!
Alex O’Neil, Nach Baliye contestant
I’ll never go back to....
Can’t think of any place in particular, but I have had bad experiences in places like Chicago, South Africa and Phillipines. People and places are intertwined for me and when I don’t like the people, I don’t like the place either.
I never travel without... my laptop and my mobile phone.
My top travel tip... Make a list of things to take on your trip.
When I am travelling I always miss...
I mostly go in for low-budget accommodation so that I can splurge on other things while on a holiday. So, I would say that I miss sleeping on a comfortable bed.
My idea of paradise... I get bored very easily, which holds good for places too. So, ‘paradise’ for me is any place with my good friends around me, good food and partying all night!
My favourite hotel...
J W Marriott, Mumbai. I spent close to three months in it.
I can’t get enough of... desserts, I think. But I get full eventually! (laughs)
I always bring back... Artifacts! But it’s more likely that I forget my things back at the holiday spot.
My most memorable meal... I love the seafood in Goa and the pancakes in Thailand, but I am the kind of person that eats to live while Sweta (Keswani) is the kind who lives to eat. I have more fun watching her eat.
The best beach I’ve ever seen...
This secluded beach in Goa that I won’t reveal the name of. I don’t want it getting crowded now! (laughs). Also the beaches of Greece which I have visited as a child.
I’d like to...
Travel to Russia. I’ve heard many amazing things about it. And also Eastern Europe.
My favourite view is... My last holiday was in Mussoorie and watching clouds rising from trees was breathtaking!
Deepti Gujral, model
I’ll never go back to.... Malaysia. I was completely lost in that place. Somehow the feel of it was never warm.
I never travel without...
My iPod and of course, my passport.
My top travel tip... Never forget to carry your credit cards, and choose Traveller’s Cheques over cash.
When I am travelling I always miss...
Home-cooked food. I hate flight food and wish there was a home-cooked food ‘dabba’ that they would provide me with on the plane.
My idea of paradise... A beautiful beach. I am a total beach bum. I love water sports too.
My favourite hotel...
Grand Hyatt, Hong Kong.
I can’t get enough of... Chocolate. And the south of France.
I always bring back...
Souvenirs, photographs and loads of memories!
My most memorable meal...
The sushi that I had in Hong Kong. It was the best ever!
The best beach I’ve ever seen...
Recently, I was in Andaman for the Kingfisher Calendar shoot, and I flipped for the beach there. The water was blue-green and you could see corals and sea life from above. It was breathtaking!
I’ll never go back to.... 
I’ll never go back to....
I’ll never go back to....
