Celebrity Interview
SEVEN times world surfing champion Layne Beachley inspired Travel Counsellors at the group’s annual conference this month.
Widely regarded as the most successful female surfer in history, Beachley ( pictured) took some time to share with
Travel Daily some of her top tips and hilarious stories from her 20 years of travelling for her surfing career. What has been the highlight of your career so far? My highlight has been the legacy that I have left in the sport both in and out of the water. What is your favourite holiday spot? Hawaii. I love visiting the North Shore of Oahu. I lived there for almost five years and Hawaii is a home away from home for me! Who is one person you wish you could sit next to on a plane? P!NK! It would be awesome fun, we may drink a little too much but there would be lots of laughs and crazy tales to share! What is something that annoys you about flying? The most annoying thing about flying is the so-called random explosives security check. And also the waste of water and perfectly good liquids that we must discard before security! How would you spend a day at sea aboard a cruise ship? On a sun lounge by the pool with a steady flow of cocktails & a good book! What is one of the most exotic destinations you have travelled to? The Galapagos Islands. It is renowned for having the most unique & original wildlife including the Blue-Footed Booby and the enormous ancient turtles! It’s a really fascinating place! What is one thing you cannot leave home without when you travel? My water bottle! Do you have an embarrassing travel story that you can share with us? During my professional surfing career, I travelled in Economy for 20 years. On one particular long haul flight between LA and London, I took a heavy sleeping pill. I took this just after finishing my meal and fell asleep quickly. I twitch violently when I’m falling asleep and unbeknownst to me, during one of these twitching episodes, my right hand flung out underneath the table of the poor individual sitting next to me and I flung their food and their glass of coke all over them and I stayed asleep for the next eight hours oblivious to the fact until I woke up almost landing in London and saw the mess that I had created and I felt really bad! Fortunately they were understanding and I apologised profusely! What features do you look for when choosing a hotel? Location, price and quality!