Playing Gracie Darling star Rudi Dharmalingam shares travel highlights

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The UK-based Playing Gracie Darling star Rudi Dharmalingam hits the ground running in search of authentic travel experiences.
My first holiday memory is...
Visiting Trinidad, the birthplace of my mother, in 1988. I remember watching the 100m men's final in the Seoul Olympics, Ben Johnson destroying the rest of the field only to be later stripped of his title because of doping. I have many sporting-related childhood memories.
I have visited...
Twenty-one countries.
The place I've visited the most often is...
Australia. I've worked on three projects in your beautiful country. My entire career seems to be moving out there. Can I be an honorary Aussie?
My favourite place there is...
Jervis Bay. That whole area is quite magical. I stayed in a cabin in bushland and it was heaven. The older I get the more I appreciate enveloping myself in nature. It was the one time in my life that I was truly at peace.
The place I've visited the most often is Australia. I've worked on three projects in your beautiful country.
The place I'd love to visit in Australia is...
Too many places to list. I've been to Australia three times for work and all those trips involved staying in NSW. The rest I'm yet to explore. Top of my list is the Northern Territory because I need to see a crocodile.
My most memorable travel experience happened in...
Nepal. I was working on a show there a few years ago and there was one moment in particular that I'll always treasure. We were staying over 3km above sea level and I recall looking out over the horizon and seeing the Himalayas for the first time. Seeing those beautiful snow-capped mountains standing so majestically was a profoundly spiritual moment.
The travel experience on my bucket list is...
Before I'm 50 I want to run the Marathon Des Sables, a 257km foot race across the Sahara Desert. I seek comfort from discomfort, always trying to alter the ceiling of what I can achieve and conquer. My childhood was filled with sport and I've taken that discipline into my working life. I approach a role with an athlete's mentality. Achieving the extraordinary grows a person on so many levels. The Marathon Des Sables is the toughest foot race on Earth, to finish that is the ultimate human endeavour.
My favourite place in Australia is Jervis Bay.
My holidays are mostly devoted to...
Finding interesting running trails and discovering new culinary experiences. I'm a big food enthusiast, the UK doesn't have a good relationship with food and that is causing us many health problems. Travelling enables me to sample how other countries bond themselves with food.
The advice I'd give to young travellers...
Walk or run everywhere. We are so accustomed to finding the quickest route from one place to another – a train, a bus or even an Uber. You miss so much of what a country has to offer by using public transport. Using your feet, not only do you smash your daily step count but it's also the best way to find your bearings in an unfamiliar place.
The sickest I've been on holiday...
In Nepal I managed to avoid an upset stomach for my entire stay right up until the day of departure. I was struck down with the most horrendous bug just before my flight to South Africa. Travelling 16 hours on a plane with food poisoning is pretty hellish as you can imagine.
The place I'd love to visit in Australia is the Northern Territory because I need to see a crocodile.
The worst thing to happen to me while travelling...
While I was working on Wakefield for the ABC, Covid hit, production was paused and I flew back to the UK. After a couple of months I was back in Australia but had to quarantine for two weeks. My hotel room was devoid of opening windows and I had no balcony. Some army guy sat outside my room for the entire time ensuring I didn't try to escape. I didn't realise how much I'd miss seeing a tree and breathing fresh air.
The best hotel I've ever stayed in...
Soho House Paris. Utterly ridiculous. Opulence and grandeur like nothing else.
My room service go-to is…
I don't eat late at night and more importantly room service is not a taste of the local cuisine. I'd rather be out exploring those dishes than sat in my hotel room eating burger and chips.
The sickest I've been on holiday in Nepal, I was struck down with the most horrendous bug just before my flight.
How many flights have you missed?
Zero. I'm proud to say I've never missed a flight. I have travel anxiety in the sense that I have to be super early. I'm always the first person at the check-in desk.
Passports/visas/wallets/luggage lost?
Upon returning to Australia for quarantine on Wakefield I left my laptop on the plane. This was because I managed to stab myself with those metal brackets that hold scripts together. My hand was gushing with blood upon leaving the plane. I then had to get a tetanus jab as a precaution.
My favourite travel companion is…
My running shoes.
Before I'm 50 I want to run the Marathon Des Sables, a 257km foot race across the Sahara Desert.
Flight/cruise/car/train?
Flight. There's always something exciting about flying.
Check-in or carry-on?
Check-in. My running gear won't fit in my carry-on.
I manage jet lag by...
Going for a run.
Playing Gracie Darling premieres on Paramount+ on August 14.
Originally published as My Travel CV: Seeing the Himalayas for the first time was a profoundly spiritual experience