DAVID HAREWOOD MY LIFE IN TRAVEL

The Homeland actor enjoys beach holidays and is happiest on Barbados, drinking rum and eating spicy chicken

I’M ALWAYS JUMPING OFF PLANES as I travel all the time for my job. I’m shooting Supergirl in Canada at the moment so I’ve been shuttling between Vancouver, London and Los Angeles. But the last proper holiday I had was last year with my family, to Crete which was gorgeous.

I DON’T NEED ADVENTURE, I don’t need tours and I don’t need to go clubbing on a holiday. I’m very low-maintenance – I just need sunshine on a beach and I’m as happy as Larry.

VANCOUVER IS THE BEST PLACE IN THE WORLD for the great outdoors. I’ve been snowboarding in Whistler and tried the longest zip line in North America while there, too. It’s about 5,000ft (1,500m) long and it takes five minutes to get from one end to the other. You’re literally hanging by a wire between two mountains – but it’s great fun.

I LIKE VENTURING OUT TO THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE every now and then. But I’m a city dweller, so after a while I do get nervous.

FOR ULTIMATE RELAXATION YOU CAN’T BEAT BARBADOS. Give me a nice villa, some Cockspur Rum and spicy chicken and I’m in heaven.

I LOVE MARRAKECH, which I got to see while filming The Night Manager television series. My family joined me there and it was such a fabulous city. The souks were incredible, full of beautiful leather goods and all sorts of wonderful handmade crafts.

WE WOULD DRINK ALL NIGHT and then roll straight into work the next morning when we were shooting at the Es Saadi Marrakech Resort, where we also stayed. It’s a stunningly beautiful hotel in the middle of Marrakech, featuring intricate handmade metalwork everywhere.

I’VE NEVER EXPERIENCED ANYTHING LIKE the Jade Mountain Resort in St Lucia. It is out of this world. I’d also love to see the Six Senses Zighy Bay Hotel in Oman, which looks sensational. Closer to home, I love going to Coworth Park when I need a break from London.

I’LL NEVER FORGET THAT BAR I visited in the outback in Mozambique. This guide took me right through the African bush in darkness for about half an hour, before we suddenly stumbled into this drinking den full of people in the middle of nowhere, with everyone speaking loads of different languages.

GOD ONLY KNOWS WHAT I WAS DRINKING in there but it was very good. Myself and a guy from Birmingham ended up talking to some of the locals. MOZAMBIQUE IS THE MOST EXTRAORDINARY PLACE I’ve been to, with the most generous, wonderful, lovely people I’ve ever met.

I LIKE AMERICAN CITIES. I got to explore quite a bit of America while filming the Homeland series. I was based in Charlotte, North Carolina, which is not the most architecturally stimulating place, certainly compared to London. But I enjoyed visiting Los Angeles, New York and then shooting in Cork, Ireland, which is such a beautiful place.

I MET A MONK IN TOKYO whose job was to walk extremely slowly down the middle of the street while gently ringing a bell. I was there touring for Othello with the National Theatre and I remember rushing down the street at a million miles an hour outside our hotel when I spotted this monk.

ONE SHOULDN’T RUSH AROUND IN LIFE, I realised, watching him move an inch per second, up and down this same street every day. It was like he was in slow motion and it made me ask myself: “Why am I rushing?”. He was a constant reminder for me to slow down. MY PERFECT DAY IN LONDON, which is my favourite city in the world, would include staying at the Savoy, having a browse in Foyles bookshop, booking a table at the Berners Tavern, then ending with a nightcap in The Groucho Club.

I’M NOT GOOD AT PACKING.

I always arrive and realise I’ve left several things at home. But luckily I’ve only once arrived at a destination to discover that my luggage had been sent somewhere else – thank you easyJet.

While filming at the Es Saadi we’d drink all night and then roll straight into work next morning

I TRAVEL AS LIGHT AS POSSIBLE, usually bringing only my laptop, phone and one or too other accessories on my travels.

I’D LOVE TO EXPLORE MORE NATURAL WONDERS such as the amazing national parks in Utah. I’d love to see different parts of the Middle East, too. David Harewood is an ambassador for the Mental Health Foundation. Order a green ribbon badge to raise awareness and support good mental health at mentalhealth.org.uk/ green-ribbon-pin-badges

STAR QUALITY Jade Mountain, St Lucia, left; Mozambique, right; Marrakech