Celebrity Travel: Go Away With Steve Hely

An avid traveler who has written for television ("American Dad," "The Office," "30 Rock") and received an Emmy nomination ("Late Show with David Letterman"), Steve Hely also hosts the popular podcast, "The Great Debates." His latest project is "The Wonder Trail: True Stories from Los Angeles to the End of the World" (Dutton, $27), where he writes about his adventures traveling from his home in Los Angeles to Patagonia. "That was the best trip of my life," says Hely, 36. "One place that jumped out as a true wonderland was Peru." For more about Hely, follow him on Twitter (https://twitter.com/helytimes) or head to his website (stevehely.com).

Q. To someone who was going to Peru for the first time, what would you recommend that they do during their visit?

A. Eat! The food in Peru is such a wild mix of indigenous, European, Asian and every other kind of influence. Plus, there are fruits and vegetables you've never seen, let alone tried before. In the Andes, there is something like 4,000 varieties of potatoes. I say this as a picky and prickly eater. But, for a visitor, Peru is as close as you can come to checking out a buffet on a brand-new planet.

Q. What was the first trip you took as a child?

A. When I was seven, we drove to Cape Cod and stayed in a motel called The Sea Crest. That was the first time I'd slept anywhere that wasn't a relative's house. There was a Pac-Man machine in the rec room. In the restaurant they had ice cream. I was hooked! Ever since then, I have taken any chance I can to stay at hotels.

Q. Where are your favorite weekend getaways?

A. Joshua Tree National Park is just a perfect, otherworldly trip from Los Angeles. The next level of adventure up from that is Death Valley. I've also had some great weekends fly-fishing in the Eastern Sierras.

Q. What are your five favorite cities?

A. Boston, San Francisco, New York and Los Angeles are all fantastic. But how can you top Barcelona for its medieval alleys, warped modern architecture, the best in food and good times, endlessly interesting cultural weirdness and artistic mania? And on top of that, it's on the beach.

Q. Where have you traveled to that most reminded you of home?

A. There were towns in Ireland where, as a Massachusetts kid, I was like, "Yup, I get this. I've seen this before." More than anything, the people reminded me of my aunts and family members I'd grown up around. Probably no accident -- no doubt if we did the genealogy charts they weren't too far.

Q. Where would you like to go that you have never been to before?

A. Africa. That's an overwhelming answer: it's a huge continent. I want to see all of it and I don't know where to start! I live near Little Ethiopia here in Los Angeles, where the food and hospitality is so welcoming, so maybe that's first up.

Q. When you go away, what are some of your must-have items?

A. A good book to read. Everything else you can get there, but good books in English can be hard to find. On the other hand, if you chance it to luck, sometimes you find some great new books. So, I guess, take nothing.

Q. What would be your dream trip?

A. I'd love to be plopped down in some town somewhere in Brazil with orders not to come back for three months.

Q. What kind of research do you do before you go away on a trip?

A. Obsessive checking of web forums, message boards. If Anthony Bourdain has been there, I'm definitely gonna check where he went. The Lonely Planet books are still just amazing. I can't believe the army of intelligent, engaged people they have around the world. But better than anything is talking to someone who's been there or, better yet, lived there.

Q. What is your best and/or worst vacation memory?

A. My family is all pasty, fair-skinned people who fear the sun, so we would go to the beach at four or five p.m. Everyone would be leaving and we'd just be showing up. Those evenings were pretty much magic. Sailing from Panama to Colombia on a catamaran with 17 ragtag Australian, European and American wanderers was also impossibly great. (That) has to go down as one of the best.

Worst might be driving my grandfather's second cousin from Abruzzo into the heart of Rome. Driving in Rome requires a Jason Bourne-level of concentration and skill and fearlessness. When I finally got out of the car, I was drenched in sweat, terrified and wildly exhilarated. I looked down and there was the Coliseum. So, (that was the) best and worst.

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(Jae-Ha Kim is a New York Times bestselling author and travel writer. You can respond to this column by visiting her website at www.jaehakim.com. You may also follow "Go Away With..." on Twitter at @GoAwayWithJae where Jae-Ha Kim welcomes your questions and comments.)