Trammell’s wanderlust was fueled by a book
In his latest film, “Breakthrough,” Sam Trammell portrays a doctor who is trying to revive a child who no one believes can survive. The actor, 50, who lives in Encino, Calif., can also be seen in the Showtime series “Homeland” and previously appeared in “True Blood” and “The Reckoning.”
A. Paul Bowles’ “The Sheltering Sky” really had an impact on me in high school. The story of an American couple traveling to North Africa and then continuing into the desert without a solid plan, and the impromptu thread of the narrative (of ) following your heart and gut. The descriptions of Morocco and the desert were so vibrant.
It was very much of an escape for me. And it made travel and exploration feel like deeply important tasks for the soul. Ironically, I am now working on a TV show in Morocco, filming the eighth season of “Homeland.”
A. I’ve been so fortunate to work in many beautiful spots, like Berlin, the Swiss Alps, Sydney and Mexico, to name a few. Yes, some of these spots made the jobs that much more appealing. Switzerland was especially exciting for me. I grew up in the mountains of West Virginia and love alpine culture.
A. One of my earlier trips as a child was a weeklong sail with my father and his friends from Ft. Lauderdale through the Bahamas. The first trek was an overnight sail across the Gulf Stream to Bimini. It was a pretty rocky affair. I remember getting very seasick for the first few hours. It was much easier after that, but intense.
My father liked to stay on the move. We didn’t stick around anywhere too long. We would dock at night in the bays of uninhabited islands and sometimes take the dinghy in to explore. There were a lot of cards played at night. A lot of open ocean and snorkeling, beautiful sunsets. All of this ultimately outweighed the lack of fresh water and punishing heat.
A. Bali in Indonesia. It was a long trip, which required an overnight stay in Tokyo, but it was well worth it. We started off in the beach area of Kuta, which has a bit of a nightlife scene, fun hotels, bars and a quasi-urban energy. A must-do is dinner on Jimbaran Bay. All the restaurants set tables out on the sand in the open by the ocean. It’s romantic and beautiful with simple and delicious local seafood.
We then moved north to Ubud for a few days. It’s surrounded by rice fields and is sort of the cultural center, with many art galleries and a monkey forest. We had the most amazing adventure there riding bikes down the side of a dormant volcano. The path took us through old towns and little villages inaccessible by car.
Our last stop was the island just east called “Nusa Lembongan.” I got some good surf in, and we rented a scooter and visited a little desolate beach appropriately called “Dream Beach.”
A. I’m a big fan of Mexico, Sayulita in particular. On the west coast and easily accessible from Puerto Vallarta, it hasn’t yet been too built up and, though it has somewhat of an international flavor, you still feel like you’re living with the locals. It’s also safe and inexpensive.
A: The Hotel Pennsylvania should have found a room for you. In the hotel industry, there’s a standard rule that says if a hotel can’t accommodate you, it will “walk” you to a comparable property and cover your first night. If you’d asked a representative to “walk” you to another hotel, you might have been able to avoid paying an extra $365.
Priceline’s refusal to refund the money sounds absurd, but it makes sense. The online travel agency doesn’t know any more than what’s in your record. And your record says you didn’t check in (which is true, but not the entire