The Daily Telegraph - Saturday - Travel
LAURENCE FOX MY LIFE IN TRAVEL
The actor and musician on his love for Skiathos, adventurous times on the ski slopes, and falling off his motorbike
I DO ENJOY A HOLIDAY so I try to have one in Skiathos every year, which is lovely. It’s my most relaxing destination as I’ve been going with family for years, and now I take my own children. We go to a particularly beautiful beach with a restaurant at one end, and just hang out.
I LOVE SNOWBOARDING and skiing and have snowboarded in the States quite a lot. I was spoilt rotten on a recent ski trip to the Six Senses resort in Courchevel. I stayed in a self-catering apartment with a concierge and literally got off the plane, arrived at the resort, got fitted with boots and was on the slopes immediately. It was my first time skiing for a while. The snow was great and it was a pretty perfect trip – apart from the fact that I dislocated my shoulder in a fall.
OXFORD IS MY FAVOURITE filming location, where I spent many happy hours filming Lewis with Kevin Whately. The city appears all posh and lovely but look a tiny bit to the side and you see this rough-andtumble side to it. The Old Bank in Oxford is my favourite hotel.
TORONTO WAS INSANE when we filmed Frankie Drake Mysteries there, because of the humidity and the mosquitoes. I frequently take holidays during a shoot abroad as you often get periods where you aren’t filming. I love horses so I’ll do some riding if I can, or I’ll hire a motorbike and go off and explore the area. I would love to work in New Zealand or Australia, and at one point I nearly did work in India – but my schedule was too full at the time. Anywhere beautiful and exotic, yes please. MY FAVOURITE PLACE IN BRITAIN IS IN KENT where I have a lovely cottage which a friend has done up for me. I head down when I can with the children – I need my sons with me for the perfect holiday. I like to be active, and I need an amazing book – something a bit heavy to get stuck into.
MY EARLIEST MEMORY of travelling abroad was Leningrad (now St Petersburg) when I was three. My brother went on a slide and got a nail stuck in his leg, so my mother had to pull it out. I also remember being in India when I was four years old. My dad was filming A Passage to India there.
‘BEAR GRYLLS: MISSION SURVIVE’ in Costa Rica was the most adventurous thing I’ve done so far, followed closely by a motorbike trip through the foothills of the Atlas Mountains and the Sahara, where I had a bit of a tumble and fell off. I like an adventure every now and then.
A TRIP TO AUSTRALIA WAS HELL although we were flown first class and treated very well, which made it worse as I felt guilty for not liking it. Hayman Island was pretty overrated. I remember staying in a hotel, which had a butler, and listening to some British people argue over dinner.
I WORKED AS A SAFARI DRIVER for a while after I left school, in the Maasai Mara and Lake Nakuru in Kenya and Ngorongoro in Tanzania. However, when I started I had no idea about wildlife and had to make it up as I went along. I persuaded them to swap me to drive the luggage van, thankfully. Staying at Tree Tops Jungle Lodge in Sri Lanka was another amazing experience, as elephants would come very close.
BELFAST IS AMAZING because of the way people have come to terms with all the things they have gone through while at the same time the city has rebuilt itself. It is inspiring.
THE WOLSELEY IN LONDON is my choice every time for eating out. I am the father of two young children. I don’t do nightlife and I was never a nightlife sort of person. My idea of a decent nightlife is to be with people I love – so that can be anywhere.
I AM NOT A HUGE FAN of Air France following a recent flight to
SUNGLASSES
Ray-Ban is my choice of brand for sunglasses – they’re always very stylish. £118; ray-ban.com Cape Town on its A380, which was quite pricey and I wasn’t impressed. British Airways does it better.
FIND SOMEONE TRUSTWORTHY who knows the area, is my best piece of travel advice. Explore, and eat local food – much better than hotel food.
MY BEST GROOMING TIP for a long-haul flight is to wake up before everyone else so you can get 15 minutes in the loo to freshen up.
‘I was never a nightlife sort of person. My idea of nightlife is to be with people I love’
I USED TO DRINK A LOT on planes but not now, as I hate feeling rubbish when I wake up. Plus I’m a parent. If you’re going to have a drink, do so before you get on. Or have one after you board, then hydrate.
I ALWAYS TAKE MY GUITAR on trips, plus hard copies of photos of my kids (in case my phone runs out), my rollies and my favourite book.
I’D LOVE TO GO TO COLOMBIA some time. I may get time for a family break this year. Laurence Fox will be appearing in ITV1’s later this year. See laurencefox.co.uk