Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

My Life In Travel: Liberty Ross

'I hate the nylon blankets they give you on aeroplanes, so I fly with several pashminas'

Saturday 21 February 2004 01:00 GMT
Comments

What's your first holiday memory?

What's your first holiday memory?

Being showered with water by Shamu the killer whale, at SeaWorld in San Diego, when I was about five or six years old.

Where did you spend your childhood summers?

California. We used to live in Los Angeles, but moved back to the UK, so my mother, my brother and I always used to visit friends there.

What's been your best holiday?

Our blissful four-week honeymoon last summer in Kenya and Zanzibar. We went on an amazing 10-day aerial safari around Kenya and left the whole thing up to our pilot, David Allen, so every day brought new surprises - one day we'd be staying in a safari lodge where Prince William had stayed and the next, a shack on a crocodile river.

Are you a frequent traveller?

Oh yes! I get on at least two or three aircraft a week, but mainly for work. It's usually New York and Paris.

What's your favourite place in the British Isles?

Cornwall, because I spent a lot of time there as a child and because that's where I got married.

What are your top travel tips?

As I get on a lot of planes, I travel very light and try never to check anything in - I usually just have a tiny bag that I take on board. I love Jake's (001 896 965 3000; www.islandoutpost.com/jakes), a small resort in Treasure Beach in Jamaica, because it's really relaxed, young and funky. I was bowled over by Mnemba Island off the coast of Zanzibar, which was a honeymoon treat - you don't really feel like you're staying in a hotel. You have to pinch yourself to see if you're really there.

Who would be your ideal travelling companion?

My husband or my mother.

Are you beach bum, culture vulture or adrenaline junkie?

Ultimately, I'm a beach bum, but I like to mix it with a bit of culture. I hate adrenaline though, and am not the type of person who's going to get on a paraglider or do any of that stuff.

How do you travel - package holidays or DIY?

For work, my travel is always arranged by my agent or a client. For holidays, it's usually DIY and word of mouth, though we did organise our honeymoon through a company called Steppes Africa (01285 650011; www.steppesafrica.co.uk). They were incredibly knowledgeable.

What luxury would you never travel without?

I hate the nylon blankets they give you on aeroplanes and I'm always freezing, so I fly with several pashminas and my fur-lined Juicy jeans hooded top - it's really cosy. I also like to have Shu Uemura face packs, aspirin and flight socks - you feel much better when you come off at the other end.

What do you read on holiday?

I just love relaxing in a hammock or on a beach, and indulging in as many novels as possible. The last thing I read was Dance, Dance, Dance, by Haruki Murakami.

Where have you lost your heart?

I'd say East Africa and I can't wait to go back - it was absolutely amazing.

What's the worst thing that's happened to you on holiday?

Last summer on the way home from Italy, Alitalia lost our rucksack, which had all the table and seating plans for our wedding two weeks later. They kept calling us and telling us that they'd found it, but we didn't get it back until a month after the wedding, so we had to re-do the whole thing.

What's the most under-rated place you've been?

The Ionian coast of Calabria called the Jasmine coast. My parents bought a house there last year and the beaches are amazing.

Where would be your trip of a lifetime?

I'd love to travel around the Far East. I've only been to Bali for two days for work and I've never explored that part of the world, so I'd like to go back.

The world ends tomorrow - where do you regret never having been?

Japan - I have visions of hot springs in the countryside outside Tokyo, snow-capped mountains and cherry blossom.

Where are you going next?

I never really know where I'm going next until the day before, but it will more than likely be Paris for work and then probably Italy on holiday.

Interview by Aoife O'RIORDAIN

Liberty Ross is the face of Addict by Dior

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in