Countdown’s beloved lexicographer and – now – debut fiction author talks California dreaming, travel philosophies and why she won’t travel without her hufflebuffs

Favourite road trip destination?
Annecy in France, with a friend and her parents who had a very old Triumph as well as a tiny flat right on the shores of the lake. It’s the most beautiful city, just south of Geneva and more Alpine than French. It also featured my favourite meal of all time: a pop-up shack where fresh fish from the lake would be fried on an open fire and served up with frites.

Top of your road trip bucket list?
I studied on the East Coast of the US for three years but never had the money to do a proper road trip. I’d love to put that right, and would start with the Pacific Coast Highway, taking in the Californian beach towns as well as the ancient redwood forests. After that, I’d like to follow the path of the Natchez Trace, not least because I’ve read it was first made by prehistoric indigenous peoples and their buffalo wandering from Tennessee to Mississippi.

Ultimate road trip song?
‘Calypso’ by John Denver. Thanks to my parents, it is one of my earliest musical memories. The swell of the music promises adventure and mystery, propelling you “in search of answers to the questions unknown”, as the lyrics go. I later discovered that the song is a tribute to the French oceanographer Jacques Cousteau and his boat Calypso, which he sailed around the world to further ocean conservation. The message feels even more important today – to live on the land we must learn from the sea. Whenever I hear it, I belt out “I sing to your spirit” and feel the joy and whoosh of the ocean. 

Most dramatic travel story?
I was travelling back from Venice as a student, taking the train to visit as many Italian cities as I could. It had been a wonderful day and I was feeling pretty smug when I nabbed one of the last tickets back to London. I soon came to realise that the failure to pre-book a seat was a big mistake, and I had to sleep overnight lying on the corridor floor, getting up whenever anyone walked past. When I finally woke up properly the next morning, my wallet and coat had been stolen. I really should have been savvier!

Your three packing essentials?
If I’m going abroad, I’ll take a dictionary for the language of the country I’m visiting. I hate not being able to speak a word at my destination and I’ve always found vocabulary books incredibly soothing. The other musts would be insect cream – I’m a mosquito magnet! – and my ‘hufflebuffs’: an old Scots word for the old, baggy clothes you shuffle into whenever you need comfort above all else.

What’s your dream car, and where are you driving it?
I still cling to the romantic notion of a VW camper van (old-style, split screen), which I would take back to the West Coast of Ireland. I visited Connemara in my 20s and still remember its wild, untamed beauty.

Any travel hacks?
Nothing except patience. I love the word ‘coddiwomple’, a recent creation that means ‘setting off purposefully with no particular destination in mind’. It captures the joy of simply being on the move and looking around you, rather than being fixated on what lies ahead.

If you could live anywhere else in the world, where would it be?
German was always my first language love and I’ve spent several years in Germany at different points of my life. It’s an underrated country with a gnarly history and I have so much of it yet to discover. I’d go back to Berlin, find myself a flat, and set off from there.

Guilty by Definition, the debut murder mystery by Susie Dent, is out now (£16.99, Zaffre) 

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This article has been tagged Adventure, Driving