Journalist, Author & Syndicated Columnist
Journalist Bill Weir explores the world in his CNN series, “The Wonder List.” As a kid, his family did a lot of car camping across Wisconsin. “We paddled the Boundary Waters of Minnesota and backpacked in Colorado with my dad. These are some of my fondest memories, and since he taught me to love the natural world, these trips were the original inspiration for ‘The Wonder List.’“
The author of “Real Food Heals: Eat to Feel Younger and Stronger Every Day” (Avery, $35), Seamus Mullen was also a finalist on the Food Network series, “The Next Iron Chef.” Based out of Brooklyn, New York, Mullen has been able to marry his love of cooking and traveling by pairing up with DuVine Cycling + Adventure Co.’s “Chef on Wheels” tours through Italy.
Former NFL linebacker Dhani Jones traveled constantly playing for teams such as the New York Giants, Philadelphia Eagles and the Cincinnati Bengals. The author of “The Sportsman: Unexpected Lessons from an Around-the-World Sports Odyssey,” Jones’ latest project is the CNBC series “Adventure Capitalists.”
For “Scandal” actor George Newbern, the perfect vacation would be to “rent a place in Paris and use that as a base to eat all the food and invite friends over to hang out.”
Tanna Frederick thrives when she’s juggling multiple projects. A co-founder of the Iowa Film Festival and creator of the nonprofit Project Save Our Surf, she is also an avid surfer and holds a second-degree black belt in taekwondo. Frederick, who co-starred opposite James Denton in “Ovation,” recently won positive reviews for her work in Carl Weathers’ stage production of “Danny and the Deep Blue Sea.”
“Everyone in England is very snobbish about Los Angeles, saying there’s no culture, it’s movie orientated (and you have to) drive everywhere,” says author Charles Elton. “A few years ago, I rented a house in the Hollywood Hills for the summer and took my children. People were amazed I didn’t rent a villa in Tuscany like everybody in England does. My answer was that the Hollywood Hills look like Tuscany, the food is better, there are first-run movies and shopping malls. What’s not to like?”
Born in Iowa and raised in Hawaii, actress Kiersten Warren (“Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood,” “13 Going on 30,” “Bunheads”) spent her youth traveling the world, singing in Baptist churches with her parents. After modeling in Japan for the likes of Fuji Film, Warren returned to the United States to launch her acting career. Her first role was on “Magnum P.I.” Warren resides in the Hollywood Hills with her husband and daughter and has recently completed work on the horror film, “The Invisible Mother.”
“I live in sunny Mountain View, California — the best place on earth,” says Emmy Award-winning journalist Carlos Watson. “It’s home to Google, Linkedin, What’s App, 23 and Me and, of course, OZY!” As the CEO of OZY, Watson takes pride in producing programs such as “Third Rail with OZY.”
Comic Kendra Cunningham says, “The worst trip I ever took was with my family. We went to Maine. We got there and the hotel was really scary. Light fixtures missing bulbs, people hanging out in the hallways, the rooms seemed dirty. We barricaded the door, but we never made it through the night. We packed up around 2 a.m. and drove home.”
Before Stephanie Hollman landed a starring role on Bravo’s reality series, “The Real Housewives of Dallas,” she was a social worker, helping homeless women and children, as well as victims of domestic violence. Hollman resides in Dallas with her husband, Travis, and their two sons, Chance and Cruz.
Former NASA astronaut Scott Parazynski is a physician, inventor and once ranked among the top 10 American luge competitors during the 1988 Olympics Trials. He may now add author to his impressive resume, thanks to his memoir, “The Sky Below: A True Story of Summits, Space, and Speed” (Little A, $24.95).
“I am always deeply influenced when I go to Korea. It is an endless source of inspiration for me. I have ties there, so it is special. But I also approach it as an outsider and learn new techniques and cooking traditions. I always look forward to going back again and again.” — Chef Edward Lee, star of “Culinary Genius” and “Fermented.”
“I live in Manly, (near) Sydney,” says Australian filmmaker Mark Lamprell, one of the co-writers of “Babe: Pig in the City.” “It’s a magical part of the world — a spit of land with an ocean beach on one side and Sydney Harbour on the other. You can catch a ferry into the city center in 20 minutes.” Lamprell is also the author of the book, “One Summer Day in Rome” (Flatiron Books, $24.99). We talked with him about his travels in general and Rome in particular.
After impressing critics with his work in films such as “Antwone Fisher,” Malcolm David Kelley was cast to play Walt on the hit series, “Lost.” Now 25, Kelley is one of the stars of the new Kathryn Bigelow film “Detroit,” which is based on the Algiers Motel incident during that city’s 1967 12th Street Riot. “Detroit is a city with so much history,” says the Los Angeles-based actor. “The people are great and truly resilient.”
Los Angeles-based actress Mickaëlle X. Bizet (“American Crime,” “Diary of the MadMan”) formerly lived in Martinique, Paris, Viry-Châtillon and Boston. An avid traveler who speaks French, Creole and Spanish — in addition to English — she says her knowledge of foreign languages has helped her as a tourist. “My favorite travel memory isn’t fancy,” X. Bizet says. “It’s when I got lost by myself in San Juan and I used my Spanish to ask for help and find my way. People I spoke to understood me and I understood them. I was so proud of myself. I didn’t even have a GPS.”
Actress Molly Bernard (“Sully”) likes staying busy, which is a good thing given her work schedule. The star of TV Land’s “Younger” — where she portrays publicist Lauren Heller — also has a recurring role on the Emmy Award-winning series, “Transparent” (Amazon Prime Video). Bernard, 29, resides in Brooklyn, and is a fan of New York in general: “In the summer, I love Fire Island. It’s my main destination and I spend a lot of time dreaming about it during the cold winter months.”
Actor Richard Short says, “Everyone knows the best establishments to dine at when traveling are street carts by the side of the road. I’ve eaten in Michelin star restaurants that, while delicious, haven’t come close to the sensory experience of a simple piece of fruit hand delivered on the Panamanian roadside.”
In her memoir “A Stitch of Time: The Year a Brain Injury Changed My Language and Life” (Simon & Schuster, $26), Lauren Marks recounts her brain aneurysm and how aphasia affected her life. “At the time, I was an actor, director and Ph.D. student living in New York City,” she says. “I was 27 years old and had largely lost my abilities to speak, read and write. I was a foreigner in my native tongue.”
Former NFL player Akbar Gbajabiamila is the co-host of NBC’s obstacle-course competition series, “American Ninja Warrior.” An avid traveler, Gbajabiamila says he prepares for overseas trips by researching “language for key phrases, history and what the locals enjoy. Of course, I have my top touristy stuff to do, but that’s at the bottom of the list.”
Barry Watson rose to fame portraying the eldest child on “7th Heaven.” In his latest project — the UP TV dramedy, “Date My Dad” — the actor stars as Ricky Cooper, a widowed father of three girls, who tackles raising his young children with the help of his mother-in-law (Raquel Welch).