Life in travel: Todd Emerson on Disneyland adventures and walking the Camino

Austin, Texas was the most surprising destination Kiwi actor Todd Emerson has ever visited. Photo / Getty Images

The Kiwi actor shares memories from his favourite international holidays.

What do you miss most about travel right now?

Meeting new people. Something I love about travelling is it makes you really good at getting to know strangers, and quickly…

What are your strongest memories from the first overseas trip you ever took?

Disneyland! I would've been 6 years old and we went to California to visit family friends. We stayed overnight at the Disneyland hotel and caught the monorail from the lobby directly into the park. I still remember all the classic rides vividly. Pirates of the Caribbean, Haunted House, Splash Mountain.

What was a standard family holiday like when growing up?

Dad is a photographer and he did deals with Air Vanuatu so we got to spend a few holidays in Vanuatu - we were very lucky.

Who has most inspired your travels?

My grandparents loved travelling. When they were in their 70s they took three trips overseas, backpacking around America and Europe. My grandmother wrote a book about their travels, so I definitely got the bug from them!

What is the greatest trip you've ever been on?

A few years ago my husband and I walked the Camino de Santiago in Spain and absolutely loved it. We plan on doing it again!

Kiwi actors Kip Chapman and Todd Emerson, walking the Camino de Santiago in Spain. Photo / Supplied

And the worst?

We once got trapped in London two weeks before Christmas sleeping on a friend's couch waiting for working visas to arrive for the US. Kip was really sick, we were bleeding money and had no idea if we were going to be able to get to Seattle for this job.

What's your approach to packing for a big trip?

Let my husband do it. I'm rubbish at packing and he seems to love it.

What is the destination that most surprised you – good or bad?

Austin, Texas. In the middle of a red state during Trump's presidency, we discovered a city full of incredible, creative people. Barton Springs is a freshwater spring in the central city where people swim with protected salamanders. Would go back in a heartbeat.

Where was your most memorable sunrise/sunset?

At the end of the Camino after walking 900km, you get to a coastal town called Finisterre. We took a boat out and watched the sun go down over the Atlantic while listening to Enya and Led Zeppelin. Memorable.

What's the first thing you do when you get home from a long trip?

I wish I could remember.

Actor Todd Emerson, outside a photogenic cathedral in Florence. Photo / Kip Chapman

What do you miss most about home when you travel?

Just the feeling of home, being surrounded by my own things and friends and family.

Where is the one destination you must see in your lifetime?

I want to head up to Scandinavia and see the northern lights. There's a tour you can do where you sleep in a glass-roofed igloo and go to sleep while staring at them. That's why.

What's your favourite thing about travel?

Meeting people, eating food, experiencing things I can't experience at home.

Actor Todd Emerson found much to love with the food in Lisbon, Portugal. Photo / Kip Chapman

Todd Emerson performs in Auckland Theatre Company's comedy season of Grand Horizons by Bess Wohl, at ASB Waterfront Theatre February 8-March 5. The show is planned to go ahead under red traffic light restrictions, with audiences of 100 people. atc.co.nz