The inter-galactically famous actor tells The Club about treasuring time spent on holiday, blocking out sound and being recognised by a hirsute shepherd

What’s your earliest holiday memory?
Being with my parents on the Atlantic coast near Boston, going down a giant slide into the ocean.

Which place have you kept returning to?
Hawaii, because it’s so beautiful. The ease of the language and currency is also very helpful.

Which view in the world has blown you away?
The sight of a whale breeching in the sunset in the Pacific is indelible.

What would be your dream holiday?
I would like a mountain setting by the ocean where the horses can run on the sand and the family can swim in the ocean. We should toss in a little skiing for variety.

What do you always pack?
Earphones are important – to block out sound and to understand what they are saying in the movies. If you can follow the plot of a movie, the time will pass much faster. My ideal holiday read is a great historical novel. I love history.

Where’s the strangest place you’ve been recognised?
I was in the wilds near the Caspian Sea years ago in a little shack that served chicken skewers. The waiter, a shepherd from a nearby farm, with long hair, a long beard and a robe, recognised me. Everyone at our table was astonished.

What makes a perfect holiday?
Time is short, with the possible exception of a long flight from one destination to the next. So the time spent on that vacation is critical. It’s a time to make it about the love of an individual, a family, an animal, a place, an activity – or just to be by yourself, to contemplate the extraordinary fortune you have of being able to get to that place and to be aware of how lucky you are to be alive in this day and age.

What’s your top tip for coping with long-haul flights?
Make the seat as horizontal as possible, get your feet as high as they will go, drink a lot of alcohol and try to wake up in time to land.

How do you kill time at the airport?
I sometimes have as many as 10 books on my electronic device. If you get involved in a novel, you can read it in the time allotted. I have often read two books on an overseas flight from Los Angeles.

William Shatner’s book Leonard: My Fifty-Year Friendship with a Remarkable Man is out now

Interview by Tamara Hinson

Have an opinion on The Club that you’d like to share? Let us know

This article has been tagged Opinion, Travel Tips