My holidays: Todd Emerson

Todd Emerson and friend.

What was your greatest holiday?

In 2012, my parents did a house swap for six months to Sitges, just outside Barcelona in Spain. My husband Kip and I joined them for a month and we did a road trip down to Andalusia, in southern Spain. We rented a house in a tiny village in the middle of nowhere and took day trips to all the different towns in the area.

And the worst?

At the end of our Spain trip we were headed to the US to tour Kip's show Apollo 13: Mission Control but we needed to stop off in London to pick up visas. We ended up stuck in London, crashing on a friend's floor for 10 days, two weeks before Christmas not knowing when the visas would be issued or whether we would make opening night in Seattle.

If we bump into you on holiday, what are you most likely to be doing?

Eating and reading.

If we could teleport you to one place in New Zealand for a week-long holiday, where would it be?

On to the houseboat for rent in the Whangaroa harbour in Northland. We've been a few times before. Waking up early to fish for lunch, diving off the roof, swimming in beautiful coves and taking amazing bushwalks. Bliss.

How about for a dream holiday internationally?

Greece is on the top of my list. We're hoping to get there next year.

What's the dumbest thing you've ever done when travelling?

Leaving my passport behind in Sitges when travelling to the south of Spain. We couldn't get into Gibraltar and couldn't take the ferry over to Africa for the day.

Complete this sentence: I can't travel without ...

Noise-cancelling headphones. I could never sleep on planes before I got them.

What's the best travel tip you've ever been given?

Never leave your passport behind (given to me by myself, after leaving my passport behind).

What was the most memorable meal you've had while travelling?

I've had some pretty memorable meals all over the world but my number one will always be sitting at Fleur's Place in Moeraki, eating a whole blue cod with Fleur telling me about how the restaurant came to be.

What's the best thing you've brought back from a trip?

Honestly? Lame but true — the memories.

Favourite airport to land at?

Changi in Singapore. If you've got a few hours lay-over pack your togs, go to the swimming pool on the roof.

What's the next trip you've got planned?

A week in Rarotonga for a friend's birthday.

Todd Emerson is in 'Hudson & Halls Live!', June 27-July 9 at Q Theatre, Auckland. He'll also be in the third season of 'Westside' on Three.