Actress finds self through travels
Actress Lindsay Price says her first trip to Maui surprised her because she felt so comfortable. “It was less the surrounding and more the people,” she says. “Being mixed growing up, I never really felt like I fit in anywhere. But when I went there for the first time, I felt completely at home. The people are of all different Asian cultures and mixes. They are American. They are Hawaiian. And the Hawaiian culture is all about family. Ohana. I just got it. Also, I learned I am a hapa — half Asian, half white. They have a word for what I am. I was like, ‘Yeah. This is my place.’ ” Price, 41, is one of the stars of the ABC series “Splitting Up Together.” She resides with her husband, celebrity chef Curtis Stone, and their children in Los Angeles.
An edited version of our conversation follows.
Q: What is your favorite vacation destination?
A: So far it has been Mallorca, Spain. Other than getting married there and obviously having dreamy memories of the island, there is something magical about the seameets-the-countryside vibe there. It has fairy-tale villages, and there is an artists’ haven soul to the island that resonates with me perfectly. It’s chic, old-world Europe. The first thing you must do is visit the little town of Valldemossa. Walk the cobblestone streets and absorb the culture a bit. Follow the steps of Frederic Chopin, who lived there and wrote, (and maybe) gain some inspiration yourself.
Q: What was the first trip you took as a child?
A: It was in an RV with my family (going) from Los Angeles to the Grand Canyon, Yosemite and the sequoias and Mount Zion. Setting out onto the open road with my family with nothing to do but explore and share an adventure was the single joyous thing for me as a kid. Honestly, California alone has some of the most incredible nature and landscape in the world.
Q: What is the most important thing you’ve learned from your travels?
A: Perspective. It is so important to see the world from outside your own perspective. Travel is the best way to gain empathy for others, to understand your position in the world and have gratitude for your life. There is so much wonder to be seen. I feel it connects me to those that I love. I feel there is nothing like a new shared experience between loved ones. Each time I take a trip, I don’t feel that travel is as much of an escape as it is a return to my true self.
Q: Do you ever spend time away from home during the holidays?
A: The best holiday trip I ever took was last year. We rented a cabin in Mammoth Mountain for 10 days. My dream of being snowed in came true. We had all the people we loved in one place, and no one could leave! (laughs) It was a winter wonderland — lots of fireplace talks and laughs, fuzzy slippers and hot chocolate. It was an absolute dream.
Q: What’s on your travel bucket list?
A: I’m dying to see the Northern Lights, maybe in one of those incredible glass-ceiling hotels. Also, I have not explored Italy and France like I need to. I think I might be French deep down. I need to know for sure.
Q: What would be a dream trip?
A: A long stay in the Italian countryside. Also, I would love to ski the Swiss Alps, or maybe Courchevel.