My life in travel: Larry Lamb

'My best trip was walking through the Himalayan foothills with my son'

Natural high: hiking in Nepal was a highlight for Larry Lamb (EPA)

Larry Lamb is an actor and LBC radio host. His show is on Sunday mornings from 10am. The station celebrates its 40th birthday this month (lbc.co.uk).

First holiday memory?

The smell of steam and smoke around the platforms in Liverpool Street Station in London, back in the early Fifties, with thousands of people with suitcases in raincoats and hats, all going on holiday. We would have been on our way to the east coast, to somewhere like Dovercourt, Clacton-on-Sea, or Harwich.

Favourite place in the British Isles?

I travel around the country for The One Show so I have to be careful what I say, but I love the west coasts of Scotland and Wales, and the Lake District too. I don't like loads of people. You get plenty of that in London. I go away to swim, walk in the hills, and do active things.

Best holiday?

Walking in the Himalayan foothills with my son [the presenter George Lamb] on my 60th birthday. We did a 10-day trek through the Annapurna Range, which was just extraordinary.

What have you learnt from your travels?

Travel wisely. Always observe local traditions and as the famous saying goes: "When in Rome, do as the Romans do." Don't start trying to wave the flag and make everybody believe that Britain is the greatest place in the world. Observe and watch other people .

Ideal travelling companion?

Nobody. You get to meet people, you get to talk to people, you run your own schedule, you run your own life on the road. You can focus on the trip and not on somebody else's problems.

Greatest travel luxury?

A decent lightweight suitcase. I'd rather go with nothing, because unless you're careful, it all becomes about you taking everything with you.

Holiday reading?

Newspapers. I can manage to read in four languages so if I'm in a European country I'll read the local newspapers and the local literature. The news in France gives a very different take on things. I like to watch Al Jazeera in English too, as it's a totally different way of covering the news.

Where has seduced you?

I've had enough of a taste of India to know that I want to go back. I only went to Delhi, but it was a great couple of days: travelling around in an auto-rickshaw, going to Mahatma Gandhi's memorial. I want to go back and get out into the country, where ordinary people live.

Worst travel experience?

Being stuck on the North Sea in a 40-hour storm in force 10 winds. I was doing a television series called Triangle, where we lived and worked on a North Sea ferry for months. Feeling violently ill for hours upon end is horrendous.

Best hotel?

The Gritti Palace in Venice. I stayed there donkey's years ago in 1978, but I was impressed by the luxury back then, as I hadn't experienced it nearly as much as I have since. The location was make-believe.

Favourite drive?

The Cabot Trail in Nova Scotia. I lived in Canada for a couple of years and had to return when I was writing my autobiography. I did this drive, which I'd done 30 years before, and it had hardly changed. The roads have got a bit better, but there's still that sense of being right out on the edge of the Atlantic.

Favourite city?

Paris. I'm completely at ease in French, so I can yak away all day. I just like to talk to people.

Where next?

I'll be going back to Ibiza. I like it in off-season because there's nobody there. Heaven.