Gok Wan: My life in travel

'When my time comes, I'd like to die at the Savoy'

Gok Wan (Getty)

We didn't have holidays very much when I was younger.

Our holiday would be a day at Sherwood Forest. My dad bought a horrible, stinking caravan with orange tweed seats inside. I remember having to wee in a chemical toilet, it was horrendous. And we used to play that game where you have to bat a ball on a rope and it goes around. Swing ball, it's shit.

I didn't go abroad until my late teens.

I went to Ireland and it was my first time on an aeroplane. I was with my flatmate at the time and we went to get drunk in Dublin. And we got very drunk in Dublin. I had Guinness for the first time, it was bloody horrible.

Las Vegas is boring.

I went out with four friends a couple of weeks ago just to see some shows and have some fun and it was great but I'm not too sure I would visit again. Once you've done two or three days, you don't really need to do any more. The shows are incredible but the place is so plastic. After 24 hours I found myself craving some art or an old building or anything that was more than 25 years old. I won a jackpot on one of the slot machines and I did a lap of honour around the casino, for which I got told off.

Hong Kong is like an ex-boyfriend that's still a really good friend.

I first went when I was in my twenties and I've been about six or seven times since. When I first went I thought it was insane and I was so overwhelmed. I loved it. It's one of those places that you go back to. You don't want to be there all the time but it's quite nice to dip in and out of. If you're down in Kowloon you get that real expat community, but if you go to the northern part of Hong Kong, which is the new territory, then you get a real sense of tradition and authenticity. And it's an incredible holiday destination. It's great if you want shopping, it's great for heat. If you want beaches, they've got beaches, and also it's full of history. The northern part of Hong Kong is beautiful: the shrines, the temples and the villages.

I like being around different cultures.

I'm very lucky, I go away a lot. I like to see new places and discover what's going on, but I quite often like to go away for a weekend and just pitch up in a café and not do all the tourist attractions.

Paris is one of my favourite cities.

I love French food, I love French fashion. I love the language, I think it sounds beautiful. I love French art too and European architecture.

I'm the worst person to go to the beach with.

I'm not very good at sitting down, I've got a very low attention span, I'm not very good at reading and I don't really sit in the sun because I like to protect my skin. I'd go in the sea for about three minutes then I'd want to find some shopping.

Home from home: Gok often escapes to the hotel (Getty)

London has the best shopping.

When I go away I always get really frustrated because I can't find what I want. Then I come home and I've got it on my doorstep. I love a market as well. I can basically shop for anything.

Sometimes I spend the night at the Savoy even though I live around the corner

I love the hotel so much. I actually just really love hotels: I love service; I love hospitality; I like nice things; I like food; I like booze; I love design; I like interiors; I like the comfy beds; I like not making my bed; I love travel toiletries. I have always said I will probably die at the Savoy.

Warsaw has the best gay clubs.

I went there to make a series and I stayed there for a long time; I completely fell in love with Warsaw. There's an incredible underground art scene and brilliant clubs. I love the food; I love Polish people and their language . And their countryside is just beautiful.

Gok Wan is appearing in 'Gok in Hong Kong' from 7 October on This Morning (10.30am on ITV1; itv.com/thismorning)