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HAVE YOU TRAVELLED ANYWHERE RECENTLY?

EGYPT, with which I completely fell in love.

STANDOUT ATTRACTION?

THE pyramids. The key thing is to go early and get away from the tour buses. Most people get off their coach and pose for a picture right there, but if you walk a couple of hundred yards, you have the place to yourself.

YOUR FAVOURITE COUNTRY?

EITHER Jordan — which is small, but has everything, from some of the most ancient artefacts ever found to Crusader castles such as Kerak — or Canada.

My mother is Canadian, and the country has all the advantages of Europe and North America wrapped up in one, without the lunacy of the U.S. It was once called ‘British North America’, and we can still feel at home there.

WHAT’S THE BEST PART OF CANADA?

THE Canadian Rockies. If you want to go off the beaten track, head to Mouny Assiniboine Provincial Park — the landscape is divine and you’re virtually alone.

DID YOU SWIM IN A MOUNTAIN LAKE?

NO, BUT I love cold-water swimming, and plunged into an icy river in the Yukon while making a documentary on the Klondike Gold Rush.

DO YOU NEED SOME HISTORY TO KEEP YOU HAPPY?

OF COURSE! My idea of a perfect family holiday with my wife and children is to spend a couple of hours on the beach, then go on a hardcore history adventure.

MOST ADVENTUROUS TRIP?

GOING to the Congo and meeting rebel groups there. That was pretty extreme.

HOLIDAY FROM HELL?

I ONCE went to the Canary Islands with my wife, who was desperate for sunshine — and it rained the whole time.

FAVOURITE PART OF BRITAIN?

IT’S a toss-up between the Scottish Highlands, North Wales, the New Forest and Dorset’s Jurassic Coast. I love going for a hike in the Highlands or Snowdonia.

WHAT IS YOUR DREAM DESTINATION?

KYOTO, the former Imperial capital of Japan, which is thick with World Heritage Sites.

Dan is currently on tour. For details, visit dan-snow.co.uk