By Jae-Ha Kim
Chicago Tribune
August 27, 2019
David Archuleta was just 16 years old when he became the runner-up (to David Cook) on “American Idol.” Since then, the singer — now 28 — has released a steady stream of music, including his brand-new single “Paralyzed.” A perk of his career is getting to travel. “I’ve recently gotten to see Russia for my first time for a youth conference,” says Archuleta, who resides in Nashville. “(It was an) amazing experience! I’ve also gone to Taiwan and Southeast Asia quite a bit over the years, which I never thought I would — Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines, Indonesia and Vietnam, for example. Wonderful part of the world!” For more information about his upcoming Christmas tour, check out davidarchuleta.com. Fans may stay in touch with him on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Q. What is your favorite vacation destination?
A. I loved going to Croatia and Slovenia, visiting some friends there. I love spending my downtime with people who mean a lot to me. Plitvice Lakes National Park in Croatia and Lake Bled in Slovenia are spectacular places to see. They are also neighboring countries, so it wouldn’t take too much to go to both on one trip.
Q. What was the first trip you took as a child?
A. My first trip was to Utah before moving there from Florida. Eastern Utah is famous for finding dinosaur bones, so we visited a dinosaur park. I was obsessed with dinosaurs when I was little, so I was captivated.
Q. What’s the most important thing you’ve learned from your travels?
A. I’ve learned that there are many cultures, languages, foods and perspectives. Yet we’re still all connected. We can inspire each other simply by getting to know and understand each other. I love it. It gets the creativity flowing for my music.
Q. If you could only pick one place to eat, would you choose a food cart or fine dining?
A. Casual meal! My favorite food is street tacos.
Q. Where are your favorite weekend getaways?
A. I love to go visit my friends who live out in the rural part of Tennessee. We’ll go fishing, swimming in their pond, four-wheeling or play video games and watch movies together.
Q. If you’ve ever gone away for the holidays, which was the best trip?
A. I’ve always been with family for Christmas, but one time I spent it with my mom’s side in Atlanta. She and her family are originally from Honduras. We spent it eating Hispanic food, dancing and singing. At midnight, everyone hugs and says, “Feliz navidad!” Good memories.
Q. Do you speak any foreign languages?
A. I grew up knowing a little Spanish, but I became fluent when I lived in Chile for two years as a missionary for my church. It’s a different kind of Spanish. But I got the hang of it after eight months or so.
Q. What are your five favorite cities?
A. Nashville. That’s why I moved there. Santa Fe. Ljubljana (Slovenia). Toronto. San Vicente de Taguatagua (Chile).
Q. Where have you traveled to that most reminded you of home?
A. Santiago reminded me of where I grew up in Salt Lake with the mountains around the city, behind the skyline. As for Tennessee, Serbia reminded me so much of my new home’s countryside and hospitality of the people.
Q. Where would you like to go that you have never been to before?
A. Japan, which I’ll be traveling to see soon!
Q. When you go away, what are some of your must-have items?
A. My phone for pictures, TripAdvisor and Yelp and my journal and phone charger.
Q. What would be your dream trip?
A. I’d love to go to the Polynesian islands.
Q. What is your guilty pleasure when you’re on the road?
A. Driving by random food places and stopping to eat whatever looks good, even if I had just eaten.
Q. What is your best and/or worst vacation memory?
A. One time visiting Honduras as a family with the Lisa Lopes Foundation, we went to the mountains and swam in the river. My little sister can get too adventurous sometimes and went too far off. The current started taking her off and we thought she was going to be swept away. Luckily, a young local Honduran man ran up and knew where he could grab her. It was a great trip, but that memory was pretty scary for all of us. We’re grateful that young guy caught her in the nick of time.
© 2019 JAE-HA KIM
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