My holidays: Gary Langsford

Gary Langsford is a founding director of Gow Langsford Gallery and is also co-owner of design55. Photo / Brett Phibbs

What was your greatest holiday?
Driving with my partner Vicki from Paris to the Bordeaux region and staying in small medieval villages and then heading to Reims and Epernay. Great French food and wine.

And the worst?
Holidaying on a Pacific Island in June to avoid the worst of the Auckland winter, only to have torrential rain for 90 per cent of the time.

What's your dream destination?
There are just so many and for so many different reasons. New York for art, Paris for design, Venice for history, St Emilion for romance, and many other places I have yet to visit.

What's the dumbest thing you've ever done when travelling?
Asking the two people sitting in our designated seats on the train to show me their tickets, as they were definitely our seats, only to discover that while they were in fact our seats, we were a month early!

Complete this sentence: I can't travel without...
15 black T-shirts and my passport.

What was the most memorable meal you've had while travelling?
I've had so many incredible meals but often the most memorable have been when I've stumbled across a small local restaurant run by people with a real passion for what they do. A recent meal in Paris at Les Fines Gueules is a great example of this and Le Huitier Pie in St Emilion is another. Neither was expensive and the food was locally sourced and fabulous.

Favourite airport to land at?
I like landing at JFK in New York. It's rough and raw and slightly dirty, much like the city you are about to enter.