Celebrity Travel: Go away with Keana Lyn

Based out of Toronto, “The Hardy Boys” actress Keana Lyn hails from a multicultural background. Her father is Ecuadorian and her mother is French Canadian. Her most memorable trip this year? “I turned 24 back in March and flew home from London, where I was most recently traveling, to make it back in time to co-celebrate my birthday with my twin sister,” Lyn said. “We’ve never spent a birthday apart. As twins, we have quite the fixed rule about that.” Lyn, who portrays Callie Shaw on Hulu’s “The Hardy Boys,” is also a university student working on her degree in media production.

Q: How have you been dealing with some of the travel restrictions during this pandemic?

A: Like so many of us, I felt the pandemic really emphasized that desire for travel and adventure. It’s always been a dream of mine to take some time off and explore on a solo journey of sorts. I spent a fair amount of time during the pandemic daydreaming about where I’d end up (but) never actually over concerning myself with the fine details. All I knew was that I was actively craving to have a plan that favored minimal planning. And by the time restrictions began to lift I booked a ticket to Europe.

Q: Do you enjoy traveling for work or have you grown a bit tired of it?

A: I think a big part of the attraction I have to being an artist is the lifestyle it honors. I love the idea that I can just hop on a plane and change up my environment for different projects. You never know where work might take you. Fortunately for me I’m quite good at making myself feel at home in new spaces. I think my favorite work-adjacent trip was when my twin sister, Maia Jae, who’s also an actress, got booked on a gig that shot out in Budapest, Hungary. I took time off to join her. It was quite the last minute and unexpected trip, but there was no way I was going to let her discover Hungary without me!

Q: What is your favorite vacation destination?

A: This is such a tough question! There are still so many places I have to visit but I think my favorite destination so far is Brazil. It’s an absolutely stunning country brimming with such charismatic and lively people. I love everything about that oceanside, sleep in the sun, then dance under the stars state of mind. I visited northern Brazil, then traveled more inland to spend a few nights in the Amazon. I’d recommend this experience to everyone. It honestly changed my life. Nothing quite compares to sleeping in a hammock in the middle of the rainforest as troops of monkeys swing over you.

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

A: I think my first destination trip was to Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic. I must’ve been about nine years old and there were about 50 close family and friends that all came to attend my oldest sister's wedding. It was a very beautiful resort-type trip and I remember feeling like I was in heaven. I don’t think you can find a single photo from this trip where I’m not smiling cheek to cheek. I love my big family and we got the chance to create such important memories here so, yes, definitely a trip that I cherish!

Q: What's the most important thing you've learned from your travels?

A: That you can find and make family wherever you go.

Q: Where are your favorite weekend getaways?

A: I do love a good city market. London had some of the best weekend markets I’ve been to with everything from vintage shopping to local art collecting to international tasting menus. I’m definitely more of a city girl at heart, but there’s also the side of me that loves a cottage weekend. Something a bit more tamed and sunnier with friends by a body of water would be a great alternative. Road trips and a wicked playlist.

Q: If you've ever gone away for the holidays, which was the best trip?

A: I have a big immediate family so we’ve always spent the holidays here in Toronto. Given how many of us there are, it’s rare to find us all in one household. That’s why the holidays are so special to us and do feel like a mini vacay in a way.

Q: Do you speak any foreign languages?

A: I used to study Spanish in school and have just recently got back into practicing. I do find it very interesting to learn the structure and rhythms of language and how to construct ideas and dialogue. It’s so fascinating to recognize from a cultural standpoint how language and the use of it is so personal and unique to each individual, and how it can offer so much about who a person is. I think that’s really beautiful and one of the gifts about traveling.

Q: What are your five favorite cities?

A: London, Salvador (Brazil), New York City, Lahaina (Hawaii), Amherstburg (Canada).

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

A: I would love to visit Thailand. My older sisters have both spent extended periods of time there. Their husbands are professional Muay Thai fighters/coaches so I’ve been introduced to the culture through them and my practice of the sport. Hoping to plan a trip there next year and do some more training.

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

A: A notebook, a good novel, a downloaded playlist, ChapStick. I try my best to pack light as I’ve got such a knack for collecting original art and vintage threads from the places I visit. But that habit comes with a cost and usually means that I end up with overweight baggage. (Laughs.)

Q: What would be your dream trip?

A: To spend a month or so in Ecuador. That’s where my dad is from and he hasn’t been home in 30-plus years. It would take a proper amount of planning to get my family all onboard, but I think it’s so important that we experience my father’s heritage together. I’m hoping to get everyone out there by spring of next year— one of my determinations!

Q: What is your guilty pleasure when you're on the road?

A: Pringles and a Diet Coke. I used to indulge in this when I was a kid and we would take the train from Toronto to Amherstburg to visit my grandma.

Q: What is your worst vacation memory?

A: Getting super seasick on a two-hour boat ride traveling from an island off the coast of Salvador and back to the mainland. The fact that there was literally no way out of the situation was so anxiety-inducing, but I did make it back in one piece by the end after a ton of embarrassment. (Laughs.) But, oh boy, that feeling is like none other. Safe to say I’ve learned my lesson about me and ocean travel.

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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.)