Meet Actor and Activist Stephanie March
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Occupation: Actor / Activist / Chronic Wanderer
Favorite destinations: Kerala, India; Samburu, Kenya; and Marfa, TX.
Dying to visit: Petra, Varanasi, Lake Turkana. (It's endless.)
Bizarre travel rituals: Frantically checking my luggage for a photocopy of my passport and making sure there aren't any dishes in the sink.
In-flight relaxation regime: Courtesy cocktails.
Always in carry-on: Thick ankle socks (my in-flight footwear), pashmina, favorite book, good looking sunglasses.
Concierge or DIY? Honestly? Probably concierge.
See it all or take it easy? One day on, next day off. That's the way to keep it lively and relaxing.
Travel hero: Gertrude Bell.
Weirdest thing seen on travels: Fire safety sign in Mbita, Kenya: 1. Put off electricity 2. Switch off machines in use 3. Shout fire 4. Vacate the premises 5. Fight fire.
Best hotel amenity: Good down-free bedding! I am allergic to down and most hotels do not provide alternatives. I've never been able to figure out why a hotel thinks they can strip the bed of the comforter and pillows and leave you with one teeny blanket and one cracker-thin foam pillow. I get super cold. I'm not a reptile; I'm just allergic to down.
Everywhere I go, I check out the food markets. You can learn a lot about a place by what people eat on a daily basis.
I dream about my meal at Guy Savoy in Paris.
When I arrive in a new place, I learn the lay of the land by taking a quick walk around the hotel (wakes up the blood) and pouring over a map.
I always bring home tea and YSL Touche Eclat #2 from duty-free. You can never have enough of that stuff.
If I never return to Baltimore it'll be too soon because that place is dangerous.
I travel for the sheer animal pleasure of seeing something new.