Away with Kumi Taguchi: ‘I am really comfortable and happy travelling on my own’

Kumi Taguchi is no stranger to travel. The daughter of an Australian mother and a Japanese father, she would visit her grandparents in Tokyo, accompanied by her mother and sister. As an adult, Taguchi spent six years working as a journalist in Hong Kong, while trips have taken her to Venice and Uganda.

Despite those regular childhood visits to Japan, Taguchi has said she “didn’t really grow up with” her dad, who lived in Australia, and only reconnected with him in her 20s. She will reflect on her relationship with her father and home in her upcoming memoir, The Good Daughter, out in April. Taguchi wrote the book around her work as the host of SBS TV panel show Insight, where for the past four years she has hosted conversations on topics as diverse as near-death experiences, online dating and modern-day cults.

Related: Away with Zan Rowe: ‘I cried every day in Greece, it was that beautiful’

Here the journalist and presenter shares her early childhood travel memories and the most serene beach she has ever found – and will probably never be able to find again.

Who makes an excellent travel companion?

Someone whose company I love and who makes me laugh. They need to embrace long days of walking and exploring, with a mix of planning and spontaneity. I am really comfortable and happy travelling on my own, so they need to add to my experience.

My earliest childhood holiday memory is …

Going to Tokyo with my Australian mum and sister. Mum would do work there and we would go along with her. We’d see my Japanese grandparents and eat senbei (rice crackers) and drink tea sitting at their low table. We went often, so my neurons wired up for everything Japan: the food, snacks, stationery, toys, subways, smells, politeness, people. My childhood travel memories are all Japan.

Describe your most memorable travel meal – either good, bad or just surprising.

On a Japan trip, we stayed at a ryokan (inn) in the mountains. While Mum was sorting out our check-in, my sister and I played with these beautiful koi (carp) in a concrete pond. One in particular took a liking to us, nibbling our fingers and engaging with us.

The next morning, we had a traditional breakfast: rice, miso soup, pickles and raw fish. We asked what fish it was and the innkeeper told us that it was koi and, with deep happiness and pride, said: “It’s the one your daughters were playing with. Because they liked it so much, we wanted to give it to you.” I stopped making friends with animals after that.

What’s the most relaxing place you’ve ever visited?

A beach in Vanuatu. I don’t know its name – I asked a local to drive me to a place no tourists went to. It was the most pristine, magical place I have ever seen. It felt unreal.

And the most stressful?

None. Perhaps Vietnam with the insane traffic but I actually love it – it’s part of the experience.

The biggest stress was a 12-hour “delay” (what I would call a cancellation) on a flight from Sydney to Los Angeles. I had to get there. Everyone was stressed out and we were about to hit curfew. The airline was cramming us on to the boarding bridge before the doors were even open. We had 15 minutes to load on to an A380. I have never seen such an efficient, compliant group of passengers. We took off with a minute to spare and everyone was clapping and cheering.

What is your holiday ritual?

Stocking up on snacks as soon as I land. I have to have them in my hotel room and I feel stressed if I don’t have nibbles for whenever I need them. Plus I love sussing out supermarkets in other countries, just seeing normal things like a local.

What’s your strategy for surviving long-haul flights?

Accept they are long and uncomfortable and just roll with it. Watch crappy movies I would never watch at home. And loads of snacks brought from home.

What’s your biggest travel regret?

Not exploring more of Asia when I lived in Hong Kong for six years. Though I only had 10 days of annual leave per year and not much money, so I can’t be too hard on myself.

• Insight returns to SBS and SBS on Demand on 4 March at 8.30pm. Kumi Taguchi’s memoir The Good Daughter (Simon & Schuster) is out on 30 April