Travelling life

Edith Bowman found a trip to Tokyo, above, fascinating; as a child she visited the Swiss ski resort of Anzère, above right

How often do you travel?

As a family, we really make an effort to travel, spending weekends in Gloucestershire or Scotland to visit family or see friends in Exeter. We also managed to get a week in Portugal last summer with my mum, dad and the kids, where I’ve been going since I was little.

This Christmas was one of my favourite holidays of all time. Our family did a big road trip across the United States. We began our journey in Los Angeles and headed to see family who live in Mammoth Lakes up in the Sierra Nevada foothills, where we went skiing.

From there we flew to San Francisco and then took three days going down

the Pacific Coast Highway before flying home from Los Angeles.

What do you need for a perfect holiday?

I’m over beach-based “do-nothing” type holidays now. They’re all right for a couple of days on a long break, but for me they are not a proper holiday. Since having children and doing several travel shows like Rough Guide to the World and my road-rip with Cat [Deeley, the television presenter], I really enjoy exploring new areas. Similarly, when I travel with my husband [Tom Smith from the band the Editors], the idea of just sitting on a tour bus when you’re in Hamburg, Paris, Berlin or Copenhagen seems

crazy. When we travel as a family, there needs to be a cultural element or sporty, outdoorsy things to keep us occupied.

Earliest memory of travelling abroad?

I grew up in a family-run hotel in Anstruther, Fife, with my mum, her siblings and my grandparents. Summer holidays were never easy to do, with it being during the busy period. So we’d convince the school to let us take time off during term time. We’d spend two weeks in January in Anzère in Switzerland, where my aunt had an apartment, and two weeks later in the year, mostly in Portugal. Occasionally we’d go to the US such as to Clearwater, Florida.

Most adventurous travel experience?

A visit to Japan for two weeks in 1999, when I was filming an episode of Rough Guide. I made a film about the biker gangs out there as part of it.

Japan was this wonderful unexplainable sensual explosion – everything about it I found fascinating. There’s a real dichotomy between the Blade Runneresque Tokyo to visiting a Buddhist monastery in the countryside. We ate the most unusual vegan food in a variety of shapes and colours and textures. The show was totally unscripted so everything you saw was real. I have also travelled to New Zealand, Bolivia, Sweden and cities including Barcelona.

Favourite restaurant?

I visited Florence 10 years ago and went to this tiny restaurant that had no menu. They just brought us plate upon plate of food – nothing was explained and if you had any dietary requirements, forget it! But it was the most delicious food I’ve ever eaten in my life and nothing I’ve had has ever come close to it. I also love Giorgio Baldi in Santa Monica – a magical oldschool Italian restaurant. The staff are amazing there. We go every time we’re in Los Angeles.

Favourite bar?

Back in 2007, I remember being taken to this great bar just two roads down from the Fillmore music venue in San Francisco. It had a black door with no number on it. We had to give a password (which I can’t remember) and we were then led through a passageway into a library with a tiny door in the corner before you got to the bar. It was a really cool speakeasy with great cocktails.

Favourite airline?

I’ve always had a really good experience with British Airways and the staff on board have always been really helpful, apart from one incident last October. My son needed the loo urgently but they wouldn’t let my children use the toilet in their airport lounge because they were under 10 and I was only allowed one guest in the lounge. I understand that there are rules, but my son just needed to use the closest loo. They were totally unsympathetic, so I was livid.

Edith Bowman Radio DJ

Travel essentials?

I always take headphones, iPad, a good moisturiser, lip balm – and lots of different gadgets to keep my children occupied.

What do you hate about holidays?

Delays – I find they’re a sure-fire way to erase all the benefits of a lovely relaxing holiday.

Where next?

I would love to have visited Cuba while Fidel Castro was alive. I would also like to see more of Cambodia and India. Edith Bowman features in a new short film (available on youtube.com) in support of ScottishPower’s ‘£10 Million Together’ campaign for Cancer Research UK. See scottishpower.com for more information.