Notable travelers share the journeys that inspire them—from a ride in the Thai jungle to a tour of Patagonia.
“Rajasthan has fascinating extremes: preciousness and poverty, monumental architecture, and astonishing crafts.” —Angela Missoni, fashion designer
“Scotland is such a magical place. Summer evenings are so long, my husband and I can play golf into the night.” —Nadja Swarovski, vice president of international communications, Swarovski
“I’d explore the Galápagos Islands, dive with whale sharks, and look for huge iguanas.” —Anne Menke, photographer
“I would spend several months in Buenos Aires being psycho-analyzed by a local shrink. I have one in New York, but I’d like to try someone a little more gaucho for the times we live in.” —Gary Shteyngart, writer, T+L contributor
“I’ve always had this warm regard for Australia. Two reasons: first, it’s loaded with Irish; second, I’ve never met an Aussie I didn’t like.” —Chris Matthews, MSNBC host, Hardball with Chris Matthews
“A two-week trip to Bhutan, staying at Amanresorts. This is what I was supposed to do after my wedding, but I was booked for another job so we ended up in Portofino. I can’t wait to take my proper honeymoon!” —Gucci Westman, global artistic director, Revlon
“My dream journey is to be in South Africa for the 2010 World Cup in June. Two of my favorite loves: Africa and football [soccer]—wonderful.” —Ziggy Marley, singer and songwriter
“I would like to witness the unspoiled lakes, glaciers, and plains of Patagonia.” —Alain Ducasse, chef and restaurateur
“My dream trip: my fiancé and I rode elephants in Chiang Mai up the mountains and down the Ping River.” —Marc Jacobs, fashion designer
“A safari in Zambia, a place of pristine African wilderness (where I was born during my parents’ own safari). I’d canoe amongst hippos on the Zambezi River and go on a guided expedition to watch elephants and buffalo herds from a safe but breathtakingly close distance.” —Geoffrey Kent, CEO, Abercrombie & Kent
“If dreams could come true, I would drive from New York to Tierra del Fuego, along the East Coast of the U.S. and into Mexico—all the way south down the West Coast of South America.” —Yeohlee Tang, fashion designer
“A safari in Tanzania’s Serengeti National Park to watch the Great Migration, while spending my nights at one of the Singita lodges.” —Adam D. Tihany, interior designer
“The Evason Ma’In Hot Springs & Six Senses Spa in Jordan. Bliss!” —Grant Thatcher, founder and editor, Luxe City Guides
“I would retrace the steps of Jedediah Smith, the first American to travel to California overland in 1826. The magnitude and difficulty of his trip has always astounded me—crossing uncharted mountains, making alliances, losing men to Indian raids, and traversing some of the world’s harshest deserts before descending into the lush paradise of the San Gabriel Valley and Los Angeles. It is almost mind-blowing to realize that not five years later, the trip would seem routine; by 1869, Americans could just hop on a train.” —Jonathan Gold, Pulitzer Prize–winning food critic at LA Weekly
“My dream vacation is family-centric; I would love nothing more than to charter a boat, assemble every member of my humongous clan, and go on an amazing trip to Venice, Italy, and Croatia, going from port to port along the Adriatic Sea without the hassle of packing and unpacking.” —Kara Ross, accessories and jewelry designer
“In my European dream moment, I’m high up in the Swiss Alps, tightroping along a ridge trail. To my left, lakes stretch all the way to Germany, and on the right is Switzerland’s ultimate alpine panorama: the Eiger, Mönch, and Jungfrau. Up ahead, I hear the long legato tones of an alphorn announcing that the helicopter-stocked mountain hut is open and the coffee schnapps is on. Rather than quicken my pace...I savor the moment.” —Rick Steves, guidebook author and historian
“My ultimate travel dream is going reindeer herding with the Sami in the boreal forests.” —Sloane Crosley, Vintage Books publicist and author of I Was Told There’d Be Cake
“I want to go to the moon.” —Anders Overgaard, photographer
“Diving with white sharks in South Africa.” —Hafez Nazeri, composer
“My dream trip starts at the foot of Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania and ends with a safari from the Serengeti National Park to Masai Mara National Reserve in Kenya. In the morning, I would wake up early, jump on a balloon, and watch the zebra herds leaving the big plains.” —Catherine Malandrino, designer
“I’ve never been to Paris! I’m a romantic at heart, and something about seeing the Eiffel Tower lit up at night is just romantic perfection to me. Then there are all the cute bistros and cafés: heaven!” —Yvette Nicole Brown, actress, Community, NBC
“Rome. I was barely 20 when I first went, and I simply fell in love with the city and all who lived there. I often dream of wandering the cobbled, meandering streets again, agog at the market stalls and beauty of the food displays.” —Ann Dexter-Jones, jewelry designer
“India, to experience the majestic history and spirituality of the country—as well as serve those most in need.” —Blake Mycoskie, founder, Toms Shoes
“I would eat my way through Rome, starting with lunch at Babington’s English Tea Room by the Spanish Steps and dinner at Dal Bolognese for their Cache de Pepe. For me, that’s the closest to heaven you can get!” —Harry Slatkin, founder of Home Fragrance Company Slatkin & Co.
“I have always wanted to walk across the Jindo-Modo Landbridge in my native South Korea. In May and June there is a natural phenomenon of parting waters, which reveals a hidden landbridge. You can literally walk on water between two islands.” —Sang A, Im-Propp handbag designer
“My ultimate trip would be a road trip on multiple continents. Since I was a boy, long drives have always represented the most meaningful travel experiences of my life. We lived in Oregon, and the long drive to L.A. always included conversations that we never had at home as a family.” —Ty Burrell, actor, Modern Family, ABC
“Renting a Vespa and riding it all over Rome, fueling up on espresso every hour or two.” —Tom Perrotta, author, Little Children and The Abstinence Teacher
“My son Callum is a year and a half old now. Before his arrival my wife and I traveled frequently, often to far-off destinations like Istanbul, Thailand, Moscow, and Kenya. My wish now is that our love for travel will rub off on Callum and it becomes something we can do as a family. I would like to help him experience a different culture by flinging himself into the bustle of a foreign city. Embrace the frustration of negotiating a map of London, the Metro in Paris, or a menu in Rome. Together we could marvel at I. M. Pei’s masterful glass pyramid poking up through the pavement in front of the Louvre.” —Kyle MacLachlan, actor; vintner, Pursued by Bear
“I’d go to Pondicherry, in India. I’d fly first class with 10 of my favorite friends, including my daughter Ava, and go to Auroville and Matrimandir, which is a secular temple. I’d meditate. I don’t meditate enough! Matrimandir was built by a woman called The Mother, and it holds the largest quartz crystal in the entire world.” —Kelly Cutrone, owner, People’s Revolution
“Through exploration and research, I found the ultimate ‘away from it all’ location: 360° Leti in Leti, India. The inbound trip in itself is an adventure.” —Debbie Wild, lifestyle director, Jo Malone
“To the moon. For lunch.” —Morena Baccarin, actress, V, ABC
“When people ask me where I might be in 20 years, I often say hopefully retired in the south of France. The perfect trip would involve finding a beautiful stone house overlooking the Mediterranean and surrounded by plenty of lemon trees. I’d spend days visiting the markets, cooking, hiking, and taking day trips to the many restaurants in the region. I would definitely make the easy trip to nearby Monaco for some gambling (a must when here) and a gorgeous meal at Alain Ducasse’s restaurant and also hop across the border to visit a few favorite restaurants and villages in Italy. The sun, water, citrus, and history fill me with inspiration and a sense of calm…such a magical place.” —Barbara Lynch, chef, restaurateur, author of Stir: Mixing It Up in the Italian Tradition
“First I would charter one of Richard Branson’s spacecrafts. I would start in Chicago with a hot dog from Hot Doug’s and then space-ship over with the wife and kids to the Macallan Distillery in Scotland to taste some of the 1957 single malt scotch whisky. After that, Antarctica. Why? I need to have a single ice cube in my scotch. Then I’d stop by Yountville in northern California to pick up dinner from the French Laundry and eat it at the steps of the ruins of Angkor Wat in Cambodia. Boy, I hope somebody else can pay for this because I left my wallet in my other pants.” —Joel McHale, host, The Soup, E!; actor, Community, NBC
To see more Life List responses, click here and here.
