Go Away With … Brittany Bowe

Jae-Ha Kim

“I just got home from Japan, and it is by far one of the coolest places I’ve ever been to,” says U.S. speedskater Brittany Bowe. “The culture is so unique. We actually got to do a little bit of sightseeing on this trip and visit some of the temples. I’ve never seen anything like that in my life. All the castles and architecture of Europe are beautiful. But then seeing Japan and its architecture is completely different and so special. Also, we went to Kazakhstan for a World Cup race and it was by far the coldest place I’ve ever been to so far. But it was a beautiful area. The buildings looked so cool and futuristic.”

Go Away With … Kevin Michael Connolly

Jae-Ha Kim

Kevin Michael Connolly, photographer and author of “Double Take: A Memoir” (HarperCollins, $14.99), can now add television personality to his resume. The 27-year-old adventurer, born without legs, is the host of the new Travel Channel series, “Armed and Ready.” A resident of Bozeman, Mont., Connolly was a medalist at the 2007 X Games’ monoski event and on his show he challenges himself to try feats such as climbing a 50-foot tree in the Smoky Mountains and diving from a 40-foot cliff on Hawaii’s Big Island.

Fifty shades of Jae

Jae-Ha Kim

A few months ago, the book club I belong to picked “Fifty Shades of Grey” to read. You know what I’m talking about. “Mommy porn,” as it came to be called by the media, which took note of its popularity with middle-aged married women. With a controversial subject (S&M, kinky sex), it’s the type of book that no one wants to admit they read, much less liked.

Sohn Kee-Chung of Korea, not Son Kitei of Japan

Jae-Ha Kim

Growing up, I had heard my father talk about Sohn Kee-Chung (손기정). Sohn was the first Korean to win an Olympic medal, and it was gold. At the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games, he set a world record in the marathon. So it wasn’t surprising that when the 1988 Games were held in South Korea, Sohn had the honor of carrying the Olympic torch into the Seoul Olympic Stadium.

Komodo Dragon Attacks Tour Guide

Jae-Ha Kim

Remember when Sharon Stone arranged for her then husband, Phil Bronstein, to pet a Komodo dragon at the Los Angeles Zoo? And remember when dragon bit him on the foot, completely crushing his big toe? I thought about this when my husband and I were on the eastern Indonesian island of Komodo, touring an area full of the dragons for which it’s famous. There were experienced guides leading our little group, and they carried large, pointy sticks. I remember asking the lead guide if that’s what he’d use if a Komodo dragon were to attack, and he said, “Yes. It’s very effective.”

Go Away With … Gino Strada

Jae-Ha Kim

Dr. Gino Strada is the founder of EMERGENCY, a global organization that brings free health care to war-torn countries. Strada is featured in the documentary film “Open Heart,” which is nominated for Best Documentary Short Subject at this year’s Academy Awards. The film follows eight Rwandan children who travel to Sudan for life-saving open-heart surgery. Strada, 64, resides in Khartoum, Sudan, where he spends at least nine months each year working at the Salam Center for Cardiac Surgery.

Go Away With … Meghan Markle

Jae-Ha Kim

“I got the travel bug quite early,” says “Suits” actress, Meghan Markle. “My earliest memories are of going to Mexico twice a year and Hawaii quite a few times. We never did conventional family trips like Disney World. Hawaii and Mexico were closer for us than going to Florida or the Caribbean.”

My shoes

Jae-Ha Kim

Back before MTV aired shows about pregnant teenagers, it had a program on called “House of Style.” I used to love that fashion show, which was hosted by Cindy Crawford. I remember seeing an episode where models Shalom Harlow and Amber Valetta (I think it was them, anyhow) showed viewers what was in their closets. The thing that stuck out was their boxes and boxes of shoes, which were stacked neatly with Polaroid photos of the contents taped to each box. I thought this idea was brilliant. So I did the same.

Go Away With … Alana De La Garza

Jae-Ha Kim

“My first trip was at six years old. We drove from Tucson to Columbus, in our cream-colored station wagon that we affectionately called Betsy,” says actress Alana De La Garza. “We drove through the night, with my brother, sister and I lying across the back seats. All I remember is my brother poking me, as I tried to fall asleep. I kept thinking, “I don’t like vacations. I’m not so sure what all the fuss is about.” I did love seeing my grandparents.”

Isn’t it romantic? Here are the love locales where celebs feel the passion

Jae-Ha Kim

There’s no specific quality that makes one destination more romantic than others. While some travelers want access to luxuries and fine dining, others search for a beautiful sunset in a rustic environment. The important thing is being with the right person. As Mark Twain said, “I have found out that there ain’t no surer way to find out whether you like people or hate them than to travel with them.”

Where’s MY Pulitzer Prize?!!!

Jae-Ha Kim

Wow. You’ve probably heard about this column by Joel Brinkley, which is just all kinds of wrong. On the surface, it seems like the author would have something of value to say. He’s a Pulitzer Prize winner and a professor at Stanford. Impressive. This column? Not so much. Where’s the research? How about the reporting? It’s good on the xenophobia, though. His rebuttal is even better (or worse, depending on how you look at it).

Go Away With … Laurie Holden

Jae-Ha Kim

Born in Los Angeles and raised in Toronto, Laurie Holden currently resides in Atlanta, where “The Walking Dead” is filmed. The actress plays Andrea on the popular series, which is AMC’s highest-rated show. An avid traveler, Holden encourages people to get out and explore the world, and help others in need. “I highly recommend joining a volunteer organization,” she says. “There’s no better experience than becoming part of the solution. I did this, myself. I worked in a daycare center for HIV orphans and it changed my life forever.”

Go Away With … Ken Budd

Jae-Ha Kim

As Ken Budd was turning 40, his father died of a heart attack. After the author heard from countless people about what an impact his father had made on their lives, he began to question his own purpose in the world. He began to do volunteer work and spent a couple weeks in New Orleans helping the victims of Hurricane Katrina. Then Budd began a six-country quest to find more meaning in his life and his travels led to a special needs school in the outskirts of China, a home for HIV-afflicted children in Kenya and an elementary school in Costa Rica.

Just because you didn’t see it, that doesn’t mean it never happened

Jae-Ha Kim

There was a little boy sitting nervously on his bicycle as my dad talked to him. The boy had called my father a chink, and my father was calmly explaining that it wasn’t a nice thing to say, and that his parents would be disappointed to hear him say that to an adult. (Who’re we kidding? We all know that this kid probably learned to be a racist at home. But my father was giving him the benefit of the doubt.)

Go Away With … Chris Harrison

Jae-Ha Kim

“The Bachelor” host Chris Harrison says, “When I travel to any country, my goal is to really try to get lost in that city and hit the local haunts. I’m never a big fan of doing touristy stuff. Sometimes you have to do these things like in Rome seeing all the sights and historic places. But even there I like to get off the main streets and find little shops and cafes you wont find on most maps. I talk to locals everywhere. I go and ask for bars, restaurants, shops and activities.”