My holidays: Eric Borsuk

Eric Borsuk, author of American Animals. Photo / Supplied

Eric Borsuk is the author of American Animals, the memoir featured in the film of the same name, which premiered at Sundance Film Festival this year. His work has appeared in Vice Magazine and The Marshall Project.

What was your greatest holiday?
A few years ago I took a trip to Maui and stayed along the coast in Wailea. It was two full weeks of exploring jungle waterfalls, hiking into volcanoes, paddle boarding, eating delicious poke, driving the road to Hana, and watching surfers disastrously wipe out at the legendary Jaws surf break on the North Shore.

And the worst?
When I went to Niagara Falls as a child. My family and I were at the base of the falls when someone at the top threw off an apple and it hit my mom in the head. Luckily it wasn't a direct hit — it skimmed off the side of her head. She didn't have any permanent damage, but needless to say it put a damper on the trip.

If we bump into you on holiday, what are you most likely to be doing?
You'll most likely find me backpacking in some remote location where there is absolutely no cellphone reception.

If we could teleport you to one place in New Zealand for a week-long holiday, where would it be?
Although I've never had the pleasure of travelling to New Zealand, it's always been at the top of my list. As I've never been there, I would like to start in Auckland and branch out from there. I definitely want to take a road trip on the Pacific Coast Highway.

How about for a dream holiday internationally?
A beautiful land full of welcoming people, across a vast body of water, far away from the United States (where I live) — naturally I'm talking about New Zealand.

What's the dumbest thing you've ever done when travelling?
I forgot my wallet, meaning that I had no form of identification or money. Needless to say, I didn't get very far.

Aisle seat or window seat?
Window seat every time. No matter how many times I fly, I'm like a child taking his first flight, staring excitedly down at the world below. The experience is never mundane for me.
Complete this sentence: I can't travel without . . .
A camera. I try not to let the act of taking pictures overshadow the trip, but my love of photography requires that I always have a camera on hand for those special moments of captivating landscapes.

What's the best travel tip you've ever been given?
Listen to the locals.

What was the most memorable meal you've had while travelling?
Mama's Fish House on Maui's North Shore.

What's the best thing you've brought back from a trip?
An ammonite fossil from the Sonoran Desert perfectly displaying the Fibonacci Spiral.

Favourite airport to land at?
I used to live in San Francisco and loved flying over the bay into SFO. When landing, it seems like you're going to land in the water, when suddenly a landing strip appears out of nowhere.

What's the next trip you've got planned?
A week-long road trip up the New England coast with an amazing travel partner. We'll be starting out from New York City, driving through Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Maine, stopping off in seaside towns and staying at little mountain cottages along the way. That's my kind of trip — great company and very little planned.