My most memorable meal was ...
On Obelisk nudist beach in Sydney. I went with an old friend and two girls. We didn't know it was a nudist beach until the girls ran ahead and when we caught up with them they were naked in the surf. We had no choice but to get our kit off and join them. Then we lay on the sand, still naked, and ate oysters and crayfish with Grange Hermitage 1955. It was a moment of tingling pleasure.

My favourite wine-growing region is ...
Bordeaux, because it was the first region I visited. Germany's Mosel Valley or Australia's Hunter Valley may give you the thrills but for reliable, low-key pleasure it's dowdy old Bordeaux.

My favourite city is ...
Sydney. It's a great cityscape and I love seeing the brilliant Harbour Bridge on one side and Opera House on the other.

My favourite hotel is ...
The Grand Hotel, Stockholm, where I've been staying on and off for 20 years. I often get a room overlooking the harbour and enjoy watching all the ferries sailing in and out.

My first vacation ...
Was a few days at Hunstanton, Norfolk, where I got kidnapped. I was three and my dad wouldn't buy me an ice cream so this lady offered to get me one. When she heard I liked trains, she took me to the station. Two hours later, the police found me and took me home.

My idea of paradise is ...
Somewhere with cliffs and a beach where you can listen to the roar of the surf. At the end of the beach there would be a lone pub. I think such beaches exist and I'd happily spend the next 10 years trying to find them.

I always bring back ...
Sunburn. I normally put factor 15 cream on a little late, so there are always parts of me that burn. I have discovered a way of reaching bits of my back I can't get to - when I'm in the shower I slap cream on the wall and rub my back in it.

I'd love to go to ...
Chile, travelling from the Atacama Desert in the north to the glaciers of Patagonia in the south.

My favourite restaurant is ...
The open countryside. Wherever I go, I buy local food and head for a clifftop or mountain meadow and enjoy a picnic. Preferably the spot will be high, open and sunny. Savoie in France is ideal.

My last holiday ...
Was in Namibia last year. While there, I visited the country's only vineyard. It was New Year's Eve and after visiting I climbed a mountain and discovered a rock pool. I took my clothes off and bathed while the baboons chattered and stared at me.

My favourite travelling companion is ...
Charles Dickens. I'm re-reading all his books and every time I go away I take a couple of them with me.