My Life In Travel: Jemma Kidd

First holiday memory?

First holiday memory?

Barbados. I remember being in our pool with huge armbands on. We used to stay at my grandmother's house and go at Christmas and Easter pretty much every year.

Best holiday?

Ibiza during the summer of 2002 where I met my future husband. It was my second trip to Ibiza and it was one of those amazing holidays when you don't expect much to happen and then it does.

Favourite place in the British Isles?

St Mawes in Cornwall. It takes me back to my childhood, because we used to go there with my grandmother. It's such a beautiful place, and I love the Hotel Tresanton (01326 270 055; www.tresanton.com).

What have you learnt from your travels?

Never drink the water, and always take a good book and a torch.

Ideal travelling companion?

My mum. We're like sisters and best friends and we like doing the same things. She's really laid back and I always feel safe when I'm with her. I don't get to travel with her enough because I'm in New York and she's in Barbados, so I only see her when she's here.

Beach bum, culture vulture or adrenalin junkie?

I'm a combination of a beach bum and culture vulture. I'm definitely not an adrenalin junkie.

Greatest travel luxury?

Turning left on a plane.

Holiday reading?

I try to read when I'm travelling because there are no distractions. I recently read The Secret History by Donna Tartt, which I really enjoyed.

Where has seduced you?

Jack's Camp in Botswana. It is one of the most beautiful places I've ever been. I loved the feeling of living in the wilderness and visions of it stay in my mind. One minute we were driving around the Okavango Delta watching the annual migration of the animals and the next we were on quad-bikes zooming across the salt pans.

Better to travel or arrive?

Arriving, because I hate travelling. I travel all the time; I'm on a trans-Atlantic plane almost every two weeks.

Worst travel experience?

Getting stuck in Bangkok airport on my own after travelling for four months. They wouldn't let me leave because my visa had expired and I had no money to pay the fine, so I was stuck there for 12 hours. Luckily I knew somebody who was flying back on the same flight and I borrowed the money from her.

Worst holiday?

I have had a few terrible skiing holidays. They can go horribly wrong when you're with people who are better skiers than you. They end up taking you down black runs, which is a nightmare. I find it pretty infuriating and quite frightening.

Worst hotel?

One of those French roadside motels that have plastic on the mattresses. Bad, very bad.

Best hotel?

The Madonna Inn (001 800 543 9666; www.madonnainn.com) in San Luis Obispo, California. I slept in a room cut out of rock and it was like sleeping in a cave. It's so unpretentious and each room is themed. It's like living in a cartoon; I felt like I was in The Flintstones. It's so kitsch, the restaurant is pink with trees dotted around it.

Favourite walk/swim/ride/drive?

Riding in the Okavango; I galloped with a herd of giraffe and it was amazing.

Best meal abroad?

Rome during the truffle season. It was the most decadent thing I've ever done; we'd have scrambled eggs and truffles for breakfast, chicken and truffles for lunch and pasta with truffles for dinner.

First thing you do when you arrive somewhere new?

Shower then go for a walk or a swim.

Dream trip?

Anywhere in Italy in June. I really love Italy, especially in June or July when it's not too busy but still nice and sunny. I really love Tuscany but I somehow always seem to end up in Milan.

Favourite city?

London because it's home and the buildings are beautiful. I'm living in New York at the moment which is great, but it's crazy. Nowhere else has the charm and the history of London.

Where next?

Palm Beach to play some golf.

Jemma Kidd is a make-up artist and has her own training school (020-8509 3291; www.jemmakidd.com)