My holidays: Ian Hughes

Ian Hughes. Photo / Supplied

The best holiday I've ever had was ...

Last year when we rented out our house for the Rugby World Cup and spent nine weeks in the south of France and Italy. Castles and wine, Rome, Paris, Barcelona, cinque terre (five towns in Italy) and a tiny village in the south of France called Montseret with a swimming pool. Perfect.

And the worst was ...

I love Samoa but the second time we went we stayed at an eco resort after two weeks of rain. The mozzies were huge, the steamy heat was intense and Joe was still crawling so with the amount of dog poo around I had to carry him for a week. One day we'll look back and laugh.

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

A little village on the coast of Spain to write a novel and walk around in a linen shirt and a fedora. In the evenings we will drink wine and listen to the flamenco music and laughter floating up the thin cobbled alleyways to our apartment. During the day we will picnic among the olives trees and swim in the Mediterranean.

The best travel advice I have is ...

Drink lots of water. Try to stand still, take a deep breath and look around you. You have responsibility for your own memories. Too often, as tourists, we are told what is important and where to look. The best bit could be where you least expect it.

I never leave home without ...

My credit card.

* Ian Hughes is performing his show Ship Songs at Q Theatre from March 21-April 7.