Jae-Ha Kim, Tribune Content Agency
“Black-ish” actress Madison Shamoun’s latest role is opposite Julie Stiles in the Prime Video series “The Lake.” “I play a girl named Billie Barnes who is reluctantly spending the summer with her birth father in Canada,” said Shamoun. “We filmed the entirety of the show in North Bay (in Northeastern) Ontario. It’s a really small town a few hours outside of Toronto.”Q: Where else have you filmed on location?A: I’ve shot (other projects) in the Mojave Desert, northern Ontario, Los Angeles and San Diego.Q: What are your five favorite cities?A: Have to say Los Angeles since it’s my hometown. Then Paris, New York, Amsterdam and Maui! But Dublin, London and Toronto are up there as well.Q: What is your favorite vacation destination and what would you recommend tourists do there?
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A: Picking a favorite anything is so hard. I really do love Paris, though. I would say get all the big touristy museums out of the way first so you can spend most of your time just walking around the city. Eat, eat, eat, all the food. And if you’re a fan of ramen, the best I’ve ever had in my life is from Naritake (Ramen). It’ll change your life.Q: What untapped destination should people know about?A: Chiang Mai. It’s in the northern part of Thailand and it is one of my favorite places I’ve ever been. It’s a really affordable travel destination, but more than that some of the best street food can be found there. There are also many elephant sanctuaries where you can feed and wash and care for the rescued wildlife. And zipline!Q: What was the first trip you took as a child?A: I don’t remember this trip, but when I was a baby my mother took me to visit family in Vermont. She said I got really sick, so I must’ve hated it. (Laughs.)Q: What’s the most important thing you’ve learned from your travels?A: Bring a friend who’s been there before or make a friend that knows the language while traveling. Recommendations are always better than doing typical touristy stuff. That and always have some snacks on hand.Q: Where are your favorite weekend getaways?A: Staycations are where it’s at. Monterey Bay, Santa Barbara, San Diego, Joshua Tree. Anywhere I can get a massage, eat some good food and be in a little bit of nature.Q: If you’ve ever gone away for the holidays, which was the best trip?A: I’ll always remember my childhood Christmas in Vermont. We don’t really get snow here in Southern California so it’s just beyond magical to have a white Christmas. Going sledding, building snowmen, having snowball fights – (it’s) truly just the best.Q: Do you speak any foreign languages?A: I learned to write Latin and Arabic in school when I was young and then spoke Spanish in middle (and) high school, dabbled in ASL and then took French in college. But that all feels so long ago. I wish I spoke them fluently!Q: Where would you like to go that you have never been to before?A: Japan for sure. I want to go to Japan so bad. Greece is on the list, too.Q: When you go away, what are some of your must-have items?A: Digestive enzymes are definitely a must-have. You never know what food may upset your stomach and they’re a lifesaver. I can’t be without my phone case that has a built-in charger. And I always try to have snacks in my purse for emergencies.Q: What is your guilty pleasure when you’re on the road?A: I kind of pretend I’m not gluten intolerant when I travel because I just love bread. And I have to try all the different kinds of bread out there.Q: What kind of research do you do before you go away on a trip?A: I kind of over plan so that I can relax when traveling. So I make a bunch of lists, Google every restaurant, make a daily itinerary and then once I get there I kind of dial it back and just try to take it all in.Q: What is your best and/or worst vacation memory?A: One of the worst (was when) I was in France with my family. They were visiting me while I was studying abroad and I was set to fly home the day after Christmas. On Christmas Eve they left me to go vacation in Germany, so I spent Christmas alone in France. One of the best (was when) I spent like 24 hours in Rome with a friend from college. I think we each consumed 10,000 calories in that short amount of time. Pure bliss.(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.)
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