My Holiday:

Brannavan Gnanalingam

What was your greatest holiday? The most memorable trip I did was with a couple of mates, when we travelled overland from Morocco to Ghana. It was chaotic and we were completely out of our depth and it became the basis of my first novel, Getting Under Sail. We reprised it by travelling the Silk Road a few years later and, similarly, had all sorts of adventures, including being robbed by a gang of old ladies.

And the worst? Airport security: being a young(ish) brown man in an airport is a hellish

experience. planes to being It has sexually ranged assaulted from being by pulled border off officials. If we bump into you on holiday, what are you most likely to be doing? Walking. I walk everywhere, though there’s also a high chance that I’ll also be lost. If we could teleport you to one place in New Zealand for a week-long holiday, where would it be? The Chathams — I’ve always wanted to go. How about for a dream holiday internationally? Toss-up between Gabon and Madagascar. What’s the dumbest thing you’ve ever done when travelling? Easily the stupidest thing I ever did was bargain with a guy who was holding us up at gunpoint in Beirut. I got him down from $150 to $10. In hindsight, that wasn’t sensible but in my defence, I was drunk. Aisle seat or window seat? I can’t sleep on planes, so aisle seats at least give me the chance to walk around. Complete this sentence: I can’t travel without

... a stupid-sized novel, because it’s the one chance I get to read novels with more than 700 pages in my day-to-day life. I travelled for a year on 8kg, of which 3kg were books. In hindsight, I probably should have used my Kindle more. What’s the best travel tip you’ve ever been given? Read books, watch films and listen to music from the countries you’re about to travel to. What was the most memorable meal you’ve had while travelling? So many options because I have eaten so many great meals while travelling but I must say I didn’t have a dud meal in the month I spent in China. What’s the best thing you’ve brought back from a trip? Recommendations for films, music, and books from locals. Favourite airport to land at? Singapore Airport. There’s so much to do there and it’s easy to waste time while in transit. What’s the next trip you’ve got planned? Not sure yet. With two very young kids, it’s likely to be somewhere child-friendly. Or not, given my past.