To compile his new book, My Favorite Place on Earth, Jerry Camarillo Dunn Jr., interviewed dozens of famous people -- from Natalie Portman to the Dalai Lama -- about the places they loved most. He's been guest-blogging about his experiences here on Intelligent Travel. Click here for recent posts.
In choosing a travel companion, you might look for a curious mind, a sense of adventure, or a working knowledge of planes, trains, and donkey carts. But most important is a sense of humor. When the frustrations and absurdities of travel pop up, you both just laugh and carry on.
In My Favorite Place on Earth, I talked with 75 celebrated people about the places they love most in the world, and I made sure to talk with funny folks, from actor Will Ferrell to Matt Groening, who created The Simpsons.
Robin Williams spoke about his hometown, San Francisco. "One famous neighborhood is Haight-Ashbury," he said. "It's like a Civil War re-enactment done by Timothy Leary. The sidewalks are packed, and there are still shops from the Sixties."
Jerry Seinfeld reminisced about playing on a softball team with other up-and-coming comics in New York's Central Park. "We were doing this childlike thing in the middle of this most grown-up of places," he said. "On a Tuesday afternoon you'd be in jeans and sneakers, running around playing ball, and you'd see the skyscrapers with all the real people working for a living. You couldn't escape the fact that you had just dodged this huge bullet in life: 'I'm not up there working!'"
In choosing a travel companion, you might look for a curious mind, a sense of adventure, or a working knowledge of planes, trains, and donkey carts. But most important is a sense of humor. When the frustrations and absurdities of travel pop up, you both just laugh and carry on.In My Favorite Place on Earth, I talked with 75 celebrated people about the places they love most in the world, and I made sure to talk with funny folks, from actor Will Ferrell to Matt Groening, who created The Simpsons.
Robin Williams spoke about his hometown, San Francisco. "One famous neighborhood is Haight-Ashbury," he said. "It's like a Civil War re-enactment done by Timothy Leary. The sidewalks are packed, and there are still shops from the Sixties."
Jerry Seinfeld reminisced about playing on a softball team with other up-and-coming comics in New York's Central Park. "We were doing this childlike thing in the middle of this most grown-up of places," he said. "On a Tuesday afternoon you'd be in jeans and sneakers, running around playing ball, and you'd see the skyscrapers with all the real people working for a living. You couldn't escape the fact that you had just dodged this huge bullet in life: 'I'm not up there working!'"
The pioneer of improv humor, Jonathan Winters, chose England, which
loves its eccentrics: "In this country we say: 'Oh, he's not playing
with a full deck - he ought to be in the asylum.' Whereas the English
approach such an insane person differently: 'Who did he say he was? Winston
Churchill? How sweet. Of course, Churchill's been dead for some time,
but if he's brought him back to life, that's marvelous. Let's have him
over this evening and simply address him as the Prime Minister.' Since
I'm pretty sure that I'm Winston Churchill, I like the English!"
Dave Barry loves the U.S. Virgin Islands: "The Virgin Islands were discovered in 1493 by Christopher Columbus, who wisely elected to remain on the ship during the discovery process so as to avoid being turned into Purina Shark Chow by the people who already lived there. Before sailing briskly away, Columbus named the islands 'the Virgins' because he thought they looked like reclining women, which tells you how long he had been on a non-coeducational ship."
Next time you travel, pack your iPod and sunblock - and don't forget a sense of humor.
Do you have a short funny travel story? Please send it to me: jerry@myfavoriteplacenatgeo.com
Dave Barry loves the U.S. Virgin Islands: "The Virgin Islands were discovered in 1493 by Christopher Columbus, who wisely elected to remain on the ship during the discovery process so as to avoid being turned into Purina Shark Chow by the people who already lived there. Before sailing briskly away, Columbus named the islands 'the Virgins' because he thought they looked like reclining women, which tells you how long he had been on a non-coeducational ship."
Next time you travel, pack your iPod and sunblock - and don't forget a sense of humor.
Do you have a short funny travel story? Please send it to me: jerry@myfavoriteplacenatgeo.com
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i love your article ... face everything with humor ... great idea