TV presenter, writer and wildlife specialist Kate Humble on her cupboard full of maps, the love-to-hate packing essential she won’t travel without and why Wales has her heart

When we say ‘road trip’, what comes to mind?
Back in 1988, I got a job driving a truck from Cape Town to Victoria Falls as part of the support crew for a safari. It took us a whole month, driving across the Kalahari before it had proper roads, bouncing along in our indestructible Toyota Land Cruisers. As well as driving and cooking, I had occasional overnight shifts guarding the camp against lions – with nothing more than a battery-operated torch! 

Top of your bucket list?
I used to work for a Japanese TV company, but I only ever got to see Tokyo Airport. My dream is to go back and walk all the way from Tokyo to the West Coast. It’s a country that’s symbolic of this high-tech modern age we live in but, once you get away from the big cities, you feel like you’re stepping back in time. 

Ultimate road trip song?
C’mon, that’s an almost unanswerable question. It totally depends on your mood and where you’re going. I suppose there is one song that I will never get tired of hearing: Nina Simone’s ‘Ain’t Got No/I Got Life’. Doesn’t matter how grumpy you’re feeling – you put that on and the day feels so much better.

Most dramatic travel story?
Another Africa trip, in my teens. On my own this time. I was hitching a lift to the port in Dar es Salaam and got picked up by this truck full of bricklayers. Ten blokes. I knew which road we were supposed to go down, but the driver flew straight past it. Of course, I started panicking. Where’s he taking me? After I tapped on the window, the driver got out and said, “I’m so sorry. I totally forgot”. He immediately hailed a taxi and paid for it. That was the moment when I realised that good people will always outweigh the bad. 

Your three packing essentials?
A really good pair of walking boots. A map of wherever I’m going, of course. Believe it or not, I have a whole double cupboard dedicated to maps! And I always try to slip a couple of jars of Marmite into the luggage. Doesn’t matter where you are in the world, breakfast deserves Marmite! 

What kind of traveller are you?
For many years I was quite the travelling liability! Car sick, seasick and so airsick that I had to take beta blockers before getting on the plane. Age has cured most of it.

What’s your dream car, and where are you driving it?
I actually own my dream car. Well, a dream van. A VW California Camper. Petrolheads go on about the torque and mpg, but I just love all those nifty little storage spaces. It’s so beautifully designed. Where would we go? The whole of Scandinavia, top to bottom, left to right. Yes, the California is expensive, but I’d rather have my camper van than a wardrobe full of Gucci shoes.

Craziest travel experience?
Filming in Russian Siberia, driving in very basic trucks designed for the tundra in winter. Anyway, it was -45°: we got stuck and we had to stop over at a reindeer slaughterhouse, in this strange camp made out of shipping containers. One of our Russian team got incredibly drunk on vodka and, at two in the morning, decided to chop down our door with an axe. Oh yes, my job’s all glamour, y’know!

Any travel advice?
No axes, no vodka and noise-cancelling headphones.

If you could live anywhere else in the world, where would it be?
I’ve spent my whole life thinking about where I could live. Chile, South Africa, Mongolia… And then I discovered Wales. I moved here 17 years ago and I will never leave. My heart feels like it’s finally home.

Home Made: Recipes from the Countryside (£26, Gaia) by Kate Humble is out now 

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This article has been tagged Adventure, Driving