My Life In Travel: Dan Cruickshank

First holiday memory?

Poland. I lived in Warsaw as a child, but I remember having a sensational holiday in Krakow when I was eight or nine. I was overwhelmed by the architecture, particularly the Catholic structures – in many ways, it's not dissimilar to Rome. I would recommend anyone to go there.

Best holiday?

I don't do holidays much; the last one I took was with my daughter about 10 years ago to India, when she was about 16. I found the Portuguese influence in Goa fascinating, and I rather liked Anjuna beach, with its stalls and hippie influence. I usually avoid places like that, but I thought my daughter would enjoy the beach life.

Favourite place in the British Isles?

From my childhood, it's the Black Mountains and Abergavenny in Wales for the sensational natural scenery. I enjoy going back and driving along the high road towards Sugar Loaf mountain, which rises like a great pyramid.

What have you learnt from your travels?

I have learnt about people and that they're the same wherever you go. It's great going to look at ancient sites, but it's the people who make the experience wonderful. The Arabs display a special warmth towards strangers, and I've had wonderful experiences in Afghanistan and India. Mumbai's squalor and craziness is sensationalised, but it's just people creating their own lives. I love talking to them and feeling the energy there.

Ideal travelling companion?

Myself! I like travelling alone. I have got on very well with the film crews I've travelled with, but that's imperative because you're travelling together for nearly 10 months on the run. In general, I like to travel with people you can trust through thick and thin.

Beach bum, culture vulture or adrenalin junkie?

I enjoy culture and cities. I love walking through places such as Petra, Damascus and Calcutta, looking at objects, architecture and paintings.

Holiday reading?

I usually take books related to the area I'm visiting, whether it's a guidebook or a novel – books by Freya Stark, for example, who travelled through the Middle East. If I have time before I go away, I'll have a look around Daunt Books in London, which stocks lots of travel literature.

Greatest travel luxury?

A good long-range radio to keep in contact when I'm in remote parts of the world, and to find out what's happening in other places.

Where has seduced you?

I was seduced by Ethiopia. It is a wonderful land with a beautiful, verdant paradise in the north, where mountains pop up from the plains. There are sensational landscapes and sights, coupled with ancient mystery. You get a real sense of history and they really do live in the past – they celebrated the millennium this year. The Ethiopian people are also beautiful and charming.

Better to travel or to arrive?

To travel, unless it's on an aeroplane. The expectation and anticipation of travel is terrific.

Worst travel experience?

I've been to hostile places but I had anticipated it. The most dangerous and scary experience was travelling in the Israeli-occupied territories. The worst experiences are the boring parts like hanging around in airports and flying economy.

Worst hotel?

Any hotels where the bar is closed when it shouldn't be! There's little worse than getting back to the hotel after a hard day's work to find the bar isn't open. If I get a clean sheet and pillow case, I'm generally happy.

Best hotel?

The Fairlawn Hotel in Calcutta. It's a 1780s villa just off Chowringhee that was owned by a British/Armenian couple called Mr and Mrs Smith. Mrs Smith is still there and if you get to know her, she may invite you to get sloshed on G&Ts on her veranda.

Favourite walk/ swim/ride/drive?

I love walking through ancient cities such as Damascus – where you see all aspects of life, architecture and people – and through the old parts of Jerusalem. You can sense the events that have taken place; it's thrilling.

Best meal abroad?

I've recently been to Sichuan, and it's true what they say about the food – it is delicious, a lovely cultural collision of Bhutanese, Indian and Chinese fare. We'd be eating in a group of 10 or 12 people, and they would bring out 20 courses, each better than the one before.

First thing you do when you arrive somewhere new?

Smell the air and be aware of what's around me; it's a calibrating thing. Then I dump my bags and go to the bar for a cold beer.

Dream trip?

I'm haunted by places such as Lebanon, to which I still haven't been, even though I have been to Syria and Israel. I want to visit the ancient city of Baalbek, where there are colossal structures, some of which incorporate stones that weigh about 2,000 tons and yet have been perfectly cut. They're mysterious and magnificent, so I would like to go and ponder those. I'd also like to visit the frontier province in Pakistan, and Georgia, up near the Chechnyan border.

Favourite city?

Damascus and Calcutta are two great, ancient cities. Calcutta is so full of life, and the Bengalis are lovely, poetic people. It is a very safe city, with some great Bengali palaces. I enjoy the place, the smells and the people of both.

Where next?

Hopefully Baalbek, where they hold a festival among the ruins during the summer.

'Dan Cruickshank's Adventures in Architecture' continues on BBC2, Wednesdays at 9pm

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