Travel tips from Games of Thrones star, Natalie Dormer
Recently, Game of Thrones star Natalie Dormer surprised a group of young travellers on Contiki’s London to Athens trip where she filmed this story for the Contiki Legends project. In the film, Natalie brings to life a very moving story from a real Contiki trip. She retold an incredible story of a young blind woman who leads her fellow travellers through the cobblestoned streets of Rome, finding their way back to the hotel simply by using her other senses.
We picked her brains for some hot travel tips while there.
Why travel:
“Travel is so important in its capacity to expand the mind. It’s exciting to start as young as possible – you get to see how other cultures live, challenge your senses and try different cuisines. Travel also shows you the diverse wildlife we share this planet with and gives you perspective on just how huge the Earth is.”
Best type of holidays:
“I love walking holidays and skiing with friends, but in recent years I've been so busy with work that I’m only able to go on holiday once a year. Lately it’s tended to be somewhere hot to unwind on a beach and scuba dive.”
What to do on a time crunch:
“Because of my job I get a lot of opportunity to grab a few days here and there in many cool cities for press commitments, magazine shoots and premieres —Barcelona, Madrid, Rome, Paris, Stockholm, New York, Berlin. I always try to get to a gallery or museum if there's time.”
Bucket list destinations:
“I’d really like to go to Australia— I’ve never gotten a chance to visit and would love to go. I’ve been looking at the Contiki website and I fancy a trip called Reefs and Rainforests with Sailing because you get the Great Barrier Reef in there and can do a bit of scuba diving, which I love. My brother also crews sailing yachts and he says the Whitsundays are amazing so I’d get to do that as well.
“I would love to go to New Zealand and try some of the adventurous stuff to be found in Queenstown. Both my cousin and my brother loved the Tongariro Alpine Crossing. As a family we were all brought up hiking so I'd like to do that.”
Natalie’s hometown (London) tips:
“I love the South Bank – there is always something going on down by the river there. It's home to some of our greatest cultural institutions like the National Theatre, the Hayward Gallery, the British Film Institute, the Royal Festival Hall. There’s also the famous outdoor book stall and the skate park with its funky graffiti and groups of young skaters. You can check out the food market down there, hit up great bars and restaurants and visit the Christmas market in December. Plus, you get incredible views of The Thames, St Paul's Cathedral, Westminster Abbey, Big Ben and central London. You can just stroll along and take in the view.”
What won’t you leave home without:
“There are two things. First of all, my yoga mat comes everywhere. Keeps me stretched out after sitting still on all those planes, trains and road journeys.
“You need a great hat too. If it's hot it'll keep the sun off your face, if it's cold it will keep the heat in, if you need to sleep you pull it down over your eyes and if your hair is starting to get a bit greasy from all the travelling, it hides it when you're in desperate need of a shower!”
Best Game of Thrones location:
“The most amazing set where I’ve shot Game of Thrones is definitely Croatia, in Dubrovnik. It’s such a stunning country with lots of good watersports there as well. Just a beautiful, beautiful place.”
