Jenny-May Clarkson: What travel has taught me

Jenny-May Clarkson and husband Dean

Jenny-May Clarkson takes a relaxed approach to travel even if it means forgetting where she's going.

I love to travel. My husband and I have done quite a bit recently. We went to the US earlier in the year, to New York, New Orleans and Oklahoma City, and then on to Europe before going across to the UK for me to work at the Netball World Cup.

We're pretty cruisey travellers in terms of planning, which is an awesome way to be. It allows us to just kind of stumble across things. Travelling can throw a few curve-balls your way, whether it's sickness, tiredness, or jetlag, so it's good to be flexible.

I find it helpful to be aware of what you want to do while overseas but not be too strict or stringent about what days to do it. We pretty much land and figure stuff out from there, which might sound a little bit relaxed, but we really enjoy travelling that way. It creates less stress for us, and you learn more about the place you're visiting when you just go with the flow.

My relaxed travel philosophy has got me in trouble once or twice. I went to Rarotonga for a friend's wedding a few years ago, but I didn't take the address of where I was staying. I had to crash with a friend for the first night as I had no way of finding my accommodation.

The funniest thing was, I went for a run the next morning, and a guy jumps out of a truck and said "you're staying with us", but what I hadn't realised was they only had 1 News, so they recognised my face and my name. I wouldn't recommend being that relaxed about things, but it all worked out for me in the end.

I've just got back from Japan, reporting on the Rugby World Cup. Things are a little different when I'm travelling for work. The crew and I could visit up to six different locations in one day, shooting our news stories, so you have to have a pretty good idea of where you're going, how to get there and how long it's going to take.

The train system is amazing for getting from A to B. It's jam-packed during morning peak hour, you're shoved in and shoved out with the rest of the crowds, but that's how they roll. It's part of what they do, part of their culture, and that's a big thing for me while travelling, taking in new experiences and embracing how another culture does things. I was blown away by it.

If I was in Japan on holiday, I'd just make sure I had some accommodation then figure the rest out as I go.

A big thing for me is just being respectful of the places that you're in. My father used to say to me "Ko au ko koe, ko koe ko au" which means "I am you and you are me" and what that means is, wherever I go, he was with me, and therefore I take my family with me, and however I present myself, no matter where I am, I am a representation of my family and I carry that close to my heart.

I hope that's the way I conduct myself when I am anywhere outside of home, outside Aotearoa, just to be respectful and remember I am representing those who I love.

Jenny-May Clarkson joins the TVNZ Breakfast team from Monday September 30, 6am-9am, TVNZ 1