My holiday: Amelia Reid

'Shortland Street' actress Amelia Reid.

The best holiday I've ever had was ... My honeymoon through Southeast Asia. We visited friends in a remote village in Cambodia where we had worked a few years before.

And the worst was ... There have been some moments that have tested me but I put it all down to the experience - they also lead to great stories when you get home.

With endless time and money I'm off to ... South America

The best travel advice I have is ... Relax and try to go with the flow as things will never go exactly to plan. Often that's when you will experience things and meet people you never dreamed of. Be respectful of the culture and customs of where you're travelling - it may seem exotic to you but it is how people live day-to-day.

I never leave home without ... A notebook to record my inspirations - when I'm somewhere new, my senses are overloaded and I love to read back over these feelings when I get back home.

Amelia Reid plays Shortland Street's lovable-but-ditzy receptionist, Bella Cooper who is currently busy on the show dealing with the effects of her grandfather's dementia. In real life, Amelia is rehearsing for a play that she is co-directing with husband Shadon Meredith called Atlas/Mountains/Dead Butterflies for the Young and Hungry Arts Trust.

The show will be staged at The Basement September 27-October 12. Amelia is also participating in the Live Below the Line Challenge this month where she must live for five days on $2.25 a day - the equivalent of the extreme poverty line. Amelia is doing this challenge in support of the Fred Hollows Foundation.