Comedian Andrew Maxwell talks about his holidays
What's your earliest holiday memory?It was playing in a haystack on a farm in the Isle of Man.
What was your worst holiday?I did go missing in Amsterdam once, but this was more of a learning curve than a bad holiday experience. I honestly don't know how long I was lost for, as time gets bendy around the edges when you're busy dodging bicycles.
What was your best holiday?My best holiday was last year in the French Alps, at the Altitude winter-sports comedy festival organised by myself and the comedian Marcus Brigstocke. The combination of snowboarding and laughing really can't be beaten. A bunch of friends that I began boarding with also came to the festival. I've been snowboarding as long as I have been doing stand-up – since I was 18. I began snowboarding with my friends. We didn't shell out for equipment, so it was just northsiders snowboarding in our jeans and boots.
If budget or work were not a restriction, what would be your dream holiday?I would love to go snowboarding in Lebanon. There's white mountains and beaches, and Beirut has a cafe culture that's like being in the middle of Dublin. It also has a great diversity of culture, and its multi-way sectarian fighting puts the North into context. A country the size of Leinster with mountains, vineyards and Mediterranean culture makes it a dream destination.
If you had your pick, who would you bring on holiday with you?I would bring my family. But with my job I also get to tour with comedian friends in exotic destinations. The best place I ever toured in was Cape Town, in South Africa. I remember thinking, I can't believe this is my job.
What's your favourite place in Ireland?The last place I was on holidays was a little island near Baltimore, in west Cork. West Cork is a really individual area. A lot of places say in their brochures that they are tranquil, but west Cork is properly tranquil. For the road less travelled Sligo is amazing, a great surfing spot. I climbed Knocknarea, outside Sligo town, and could see for miles along the coast to Mayo and Donegal.
Your recommended holiday reading?I read John Steinbeck a lot on holidays. On a recent holiday to Morocco I read Steinbeck's Travels with Charley, a brilliant book.
Where will you go to next?My next destination abroad is to Méribel, for the Altitude Festival at the end of the month. I'll be doing my two favourite things: snowboarding and comedy with all of my friends.
** Andrew Maxwell is a comedian and one of the organisers of the Altitude Festival, March 28th-April 3rd, www.altitudefestival.com
** In conversation with Genevieve Carbery