CELEBRITY TRAVEL: GO AWAY WITH…
After graduating from Yale University, Adam Davenport didn't want his career to be defined by one discipline. He became an award-winning musician/DJ, actor and filmmaker, whose required constant travel. Asked which untapped destination he would recommend, Davenport picked Château of Chinon in France. "If you are a fan of European history or the Katharine Hepburn film, 'The Lion in Winter,' (you'll recognize that) this is where Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine ruled," said Davenport, who grew up in Harvey, Illinois. Davenport is the recipient of the International Music and Entertainment Association's Electronica Artist of Year. He's also the first African American EDM artist to chart on Billboard. Currently based out of Manhattan, he stays in touch with fans on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/iamadamdavenport) and Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/iamadamdavenport/).
Q. What do you love about your home?
A. I live in this great neighborhood called Battery Park. From the roof of my building, you have a pretty spectacular view of the New York Harbor and the Statue of Liberty.
Q. What is your favorite vacation destination?
A. I really love Formentera. It’s a small island in Spain reachable by ferry from Ibiza. For under 300 Euro, you can charter a private boat around the entire coast of the island. I remember it taking about four hours. I recommend taking a few stops to swim in the Mediterranean Ocean.
Q. What was the first trip you took as a child?
A. The first vacation I remember taking was when my parents took me to Disney World in 1989. So I was five! It was the most magical place in the world. And I loved the Captain EO attraction. I remember wanting to go back just to see that film again.
Q. What's the most important thing you've learned from your travels?
A. As Americans, we can easily lose sight of how diverse the world is outside of our own backyard. I like to see travel as a way of expanding my own mindset through experiencing different cultures.
Q. If you could only pick one place to eat, what would it be?
A. I’d like to take a date to the most authentic Korean barbecue restaurant I could find.
Q. Where are your favorite weekend getaways?
A. There are so many places one can drive to from New York City. My favorite is Martha’s Vineyard. The air is so clean there and it has this timelessness to it.
Q. Where is the most romantic destination?
A. I didn’t go with a partner, but I’d like to go back to Kona, Hawaii, and take a helicopter over the island.
Q. Do you speak any foreign languages?
A. I don’t pick up languages quickly or easily, but I studied Italian and German at Yale.
Q. What are your five favorite cities?
A. New York City, San Francisco, London, Boston and Nashville.
Q. Where have you traveled to that most reminded you of home?
A. That’s a great question. Vancouver reminds me a lot of Chicago. It’s clean and you can walk everywhere.
Q. Where would you like to go that you have never been to before?
A. Easter Island. Then Antarctica.
Q. When you go away, what are some of your must-have items?
A. I bring all my gym supplements with me. I can’t take more than a day off from the gym even when I’m traveling. And, of course, extra chargers because they are known to get lost or stop working suddenly.
Q. What would be your dream trip?
A. I’d like to go to the moon. Richard Branson needs to get on that.
Q. What is your guilty pleasure when you're on the road?
A. Making a Spotify playlist for that trip and singing along to the playlist at the top of my lungs.
Q. What kind of research do you do before you go away on a trip?
A. I talk to people who have been to the destination. I find that more useful than random reviews from strangers.
Q. What is your best and/or worst vacation memory?
A. I was once delayed at John F. Kennedy International Airport for eight hours trying to fly to Naples, because of a blizzard on the East Coast. The trip was spontaneous, because I was working with (actress) Melissa Leo at the time and she needed her gowns delivered for the Capri Hollywood International Film Festival. She wasn’t able to fly back to New York to repack, so she asked if I would fly out with her clothing and I would be able to enjoy a trip as a result. Well, I checked her luggage and the gowns were delayed in transit and lost for two weeks! I was mortified, but Melissa had such a good sense of humor about it. We bought some clothes there locally and celebrated New Year’s Eve in an Italian palazzo on the island. We met (actress) Malin Akerman on that trip and we became friendly. So, it started as a worst vacation and became the best in memory!
(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.)