Checking in... Vince Cable

MOST MEMORABLE TRIP?

GOING on a road trip as a student with half a dozen friends in a van. We drove to India, via the Soviet Union, Iran and Afghanistan, a journey you could not do now.

AND ANOTHER ONE?

A 1,000-MILE trip I did on my own through India. I survived on bananas, and was scared half the time but it was such an eye-opener.

AND A LOW SPOT?

ON THE road trip we had a few breakdowns, and were interned in Pakistan for a few days as suspected spies.

FAVOURITE FOREIGN CITY?

MUMBAI, where I have relatives. It has got all the problems of a big city but a lot of excitement, too.

EARLIEST HOLIDAY MEMORY?

STAYING in a dingy B&B in Scarborough with my family as a child. I couldn’t swim until I was 18 but I have fond memories of sitting on the beach eating fish and chips.

FIRST TIME ABROAD?

GOING to Germany on a school trip when I was 15. The family I stayed with owned a Mercedes and took me for a fast drive around the Nürburgring, the Grand Prix circuit — an unforgettable experience for a teenager.

WHAT DO YOU MISS MOST ABOUT NOT TRAVELLING?

I LEARNT to ski in my early 60s and have been a fan ever since — so I’ve missed not being able to get out on the slopes.

TOP TRAVEL TIP?

DON’T skimp on hotels — I don’t have too many indulgences but I like to stay in a good hotel.

WHAT CAN’T YOU TRAVEL WITHOUT?

A WELL-CRAFTED thriller like a Le Carré.

Money And Power: The World Leaders Who Changed economics by Vince Cable is published by Atlantic Books on February 11, £20.