What is your favourite on-the-road moment?
The occasions when I can sneak off and just explore. I feel like I get to know an area better and see sights I’d miss otherwise. It started when I was working in Queensland, Australia. Everyone there gets up at dawn and is out power-walking, running or surfing and, as I was there for a month, I decided to run 5k every morning. I’d run along Kirra beachfront in Coolangatta, and spend 30 minutes of each working day just appreciating the stunning surroundings. By the time
I left, I felt amazing.
And your favourite city? Worst meal you’ve had abroad?
It was ironically in
one of the best dim New York. As sum restaurants in a child, I was Hong Kong. We fascinated by were filming the towering there, so they architecture, went to town, skyline and mix bringing out of old and new platters of the best buildings, and food on the menu. I finally went with my I was hoping for mum when I was 18. It things like barbecued
Delicacies? Dim sum was everything I’d hoped pork and shrimp so I went back numerous in Hong Kong dumplings, but they times, then soon started flying there served up more unusual dishes that for work. I love jogging through we didn’t recognise. They could have Central Park or round Lower been delicacies but I still to this day Manhattan, where the views from wonder what animal’s eggs I ate, Brooklyn Bridge Park are incredible. what the strange jelly was and There are so many gorgeous, cosy whether I was served an eyeball. restaurants. My favourite is BondST, I felt unwell for days afterwards. a really buzzy sushi place in a historic brownstone in NoHo (sushi approx £15.50 per dish, bondstrestaurant.com). Whether you’re up for a glass of wine in a dimly lit basement or a cocktail from a teacup in a bar behind an old toy shop, New York always offers a unique experience.
When have you been most frightened while travelling?
souvenirs but I’ve always been really into photography and before I invested in a digital camera, I used to take my SLR everywhere with me. You only have a certain number of pictures per roll and never want to waste them. I travelled for six months one year and went to Phuket, Marrakech, Paris and Mexico City taking photos everywhere, which are now my souvenirs of those trips. I liked not knowing what the pictures would be like until I got them back. Some were great, others less so, but brilliant souvenirs all the same.
Best place you’ve spent the night?
I was filming in the Seychelles and we’d travelled from one island to another to film giant tortoises. The weather had turned so the seaplane couldn’t take us back A golf trip to and we had to take a
southern Spain is planned boat that evening on a very choppy sea. It didn’t take long for it to be rocking so much that passengers were throwing up and holding on for dear life. Some locals were saying prayers, others were crying. Then, just as the crew and I started to really panic, a man in a canoe casually paddled past us. It was hilarious. He was clearly either very brave or very stupid but he lightened the mood and we all relaxed a little. We did make it back safely and the next day we saw him again, at the airport where he was checking in his canoe for the flight home.
What’s your best souvenir?
I’m not into buying traditional
Where are you going next?
I’m desperate to make some plans after our trips away were cancelled this summer, so I’m looking forward to booking some weekends away playing golf in southern Spain, Sardinia and Sicily next year. My husband and I spent our tenth wedding anniversary at home in lockdown, so we’ve decided we’ll go somewhere amazing for our 11th as a delayed celebration. Basically, I’m after sun, sea, sand, romance, family time, golf and somewhere scenic to run, so I’m not asking for much, am I?
Falconer is co-founder of daily health supplement Kollo, kollohealth.com