My holidays: Susan Alcorn

American pedal steel guitarist Susan Alcorn.

Your best holiday ever?

I am a musician, so I rarely take a typical holiday. I don't often travel unless there's a tour involved (and I've toured a lot). So my best "holiday" is measured in tiny travelled moments of sheer bliss - on a water taxi in Paris with my adult daughter watching her smile in delight; relaxing on a ferry in Stockholm on a cool sunny day or a meal with old friends in London or Glasgow.

Where's your next holiday?

A tour of New Zealand - for you, most likely normal and sometimes boring, but for me incredibly exotic. It's the other side of the world yet we speak the same language!

Best anti-jetlag tip?

Pureed salmon mixed with anchovy paste, Tabasco sauce and raw eggs. But seriously, I think plenty of water and as much rest as possible are important, as is getting your body synced with the new time zone beforehand as much as possible.

Favourite city to visit?

I think all cities have their charms and challenges. Last winter I travelled to two American cities with perhaps the worst reputations, Detroit and Cleveland, during the coldest months of their frigid snowy winters, and I enjoyed them thoroughly - something about the energy and the people. I felt happy and energised.

Best get-away-from-it-all place to escape to?

I enjoy going somewhere far from a city - in the desert, in the mountains, or by the the sea. I love the Four Corners area of the United States, where the states of Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Arizona meet. This area is the home of the indigenous Navajo Nation and also the home of the ancient Anasazi Indians who built massive structures 1000 years ago, then disappeared. My husband's family has been living in this area for more than 300 years, so we go there often. I also like the Big Bend wilderness region in West Texas.

Describe an odd experience in your travels.

Once, my husband and I were in Hovenweep National Monument in Utah, visiting some obscure Anasazi ruins far from the beaten track. My husband was busy taking photographs of a structure. I looked in the distance, part-way down a canyon, and this tall, circular ruin caught my eye and seemed to beckon me. I walked towards it - almost like a zombie - and sat for I don't know how long staring at it. I could not take my eyes off it - I felt like it was calling me. If my husband hadn't come and got me, I would probably still be there right now with my bones slowly bleaching in the warm desert sun.

Describe your ideal, money-no-object dream holiday.

Definitely Venus or Mercury - I hear the winters there are less harsh. Or maybe Saturn to pay a visit to Sun Ra.

Susan Alcorn is a pedal steel guitarist from Baltimore and will perform at Auckland's Audio Foundation, November 20 and 21. Tickets at Undertheradar. $18.50 presales and $20 on the door.