Journalist, Author & Syndicated Columnist
“When I was young, I wanted to go to Hollywood to shoot movies,” said Park Inje, who directed “Moving” and “Kingdom.” “I always learned from and studied Hollywood movies. But I think right now my dream is very simple. And it’s just to keep working on projects.”
Inspired by the worldwide protests to denounce George Floyd’s death, Tikyra Jackson went all out on “No More Fear,” playing the instruments herself and singing lead vocals.
Born in Canada, Avan Jogia came to the United States with a challenge. His parents gave him six months to get an acting job or return home and finish school. He has remained in Los Angeles ever since. Best known for his roles in Nickelodeon’s “Victorious” and STARZ’s “Now Apocalypse,” he can be seen in Samuel L. Jackson’s reboot of the feature film, “Shaft.”
Actress Maria Sten moved from Copenhagen to New York City when she was 18. Her latest role is as journalist Liz Tremayne in the new DC Universe series, “Swamp Thing.” “Liz is incredibly scrappy and she never backs down from a challenge,” says Sten, 29. “She’s also overly curious by nature and always wants to know everything that’s going on around her. You’d probably get no sleep at all (traveling with her), but you’d have a hell of an adventure.”
“I read lists and guides, I email friends with experience for suggestions and I’m all over TripAdvisor,” says Rati Gupta, who plays Anu, Raj’s love interest on “The Big Bang Theory.” “But it’s less to build a perfect set-in-stone itinerary and more to build a wealth of knowledge about the destination. Because life happens, nothing ever goes exactly as planned and it’s easier to bounce back in those moments if you know what your options are.”
“Paul Bowles’ ‘The Sheltering Sky’ really had an impact on me in high school,” says “Breakthrough” and “Homeland” actor Sam Trammell. “The story of an American couple traveling to north Africa and then continuing into the desert without a solid plan and the impromptu thread of the narrative (of) following your heart and gut. The descriptions of Morocco and the desert were so vibrant. It was very much of an escape for me. And it made travel and exploration feel like deeply important tasks for the soul.”
Best known for his work with Emblem3, musician Drew Chadwick says he finds inspiration in his travels, which have taken him all over the world. But there’s no place like home for the 26-year-old “Pacific” singer. “I’ve done a pretty significant amount of traveling,” he says. “But nowhere has ever been as beautiful or held as much sentimental value as Washington State, which I consider to be home base number one.”
Born and raised in Chicago, Suzy Nakamura credits her career at The Second City for honing her comedic chops. Her prolific film and television work includes “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” “Veep” and “Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story.” Nakamura, who stars opposite Ken Jeong in the ABC comedy series, “Dr. Ken,” will appear alongside Brooke Shields in the upcoming indie film, “Daisy Winters.”
“Traveling opens your eyes to different cultures,” says “UnREAL” actress Constance Zimmer. “I have learned that there are many, many people living in countries with so much less than what we have and they sometimes seem much happier (than us).”
“There is nothing I love more than to travel,” says actress Bellamy Young, who portrays the first lady of the United States of America, Melody Grant, on the ABC drama “Scandal.” “I want to see everything before my hips stop working. If I had two months off, I would work my way right around the world. That’s what I would do. I always have a spinning kind of globe in my house and have been really lucky to have visited a lot of places around the world. But there’s still so much more out there that I want to see.”
Surfer Alana Blanchard says the food in Sri Lanka was amazing: “We went to this town and went to this little restaurant that used to be a house and paid something like $2 for all-you-can-eat vegetables with spices. It was such a treat for me, because I’m vegan.”
Born and raised in Los Angeles, Calif., where she still resides, Regina King starred as Marla Gibbs’ daughter on the popular ’80s sitcom, “227.” Unlike many child actors who fade away after a few years in the spotlight, the 42-year-old actress worked steadily through the years opposite Tom Cruise, Reese Witherspoon, Sandra Bullock and Cuba Gooding Jr. King recently starred in the series “Southland” and has a recurring role on “The Big Bang Theory.”
Diane Farr says she got a late start in traveling and didn’t leave the country until she was 15 years old. But since then, the 41-year-old actress (“Californication,” “Rescue Me,” “Numb3rs”) has more than made up for it by traveling all around the world, primarily alone. That exposure to other cultures — as well as her marriage to a man of different ethnicity — inspired her to write the very funny and astute memoir “Kissing Outside the Lines: A True Story of Love and Race and Happily Ever After” (Seal Press, $24.95).
Jewelry designer April Star Davis has created pieces worn onscreen and off by celebs such as Jennifer Garner, Justin Timberlake and Kate Moss. But one of her proudest accomplishments was founding Designers 4 Africa, which helps nonprofit groups raise funds for those needing aid in Africa. Davis recently traveled to Uganda to teach HIV positive widows how to create their own jewelry — work they can do while caring for their children.
The Indonesian island of Bali is steeped in history and ritual. Every day, the Balinese leave canang sari (or offerings of flowers, money and food) at temples, on shrines or even outside their own homes in the hopes that good fortune will smile upon their families. Despite the bombings last year in Kuta and Kimbaran, Bali is not a paradise lost.