JOANNE HARRIS, novelist
“I went to China for the first time last year: took in five cities, hopping around by plane. In between, we saw bits of the countryside, and it was dazzling: butterflies the size of pie plates, people digging the fields with sticks. Our guide told us about doing the Silk Road overland, by train. I want to go back and do that, look for the real China, take it exactly as it is.”

We suggest: several companies do the Silk Road route by train, including Voyages Jules Verne (0845 166 7003, www.vjv.co.uk), which has a 23-night adventure taking in stick-wielding farmhands and terracotta warriors alike. You begin the journey in Samarkand, fabled capital of Tamerlane and a supply station for the silk traders, before joining the train in Kashgar and chugging east through the Flaming Mountains and across the Gobi Desert to the Caves of the Thousand Buddhas, in Dunhuang. Still to come: the many riches of Xi’an, ancient terminus of the Silk Road, and two full days exploring in Beijing; from £ 2,995pp.

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MATTHEW MODINE, actor
“My father once told me, ‘Sometimes you have to get lost so that you can find yourself.’ So the trip I’ve dreamt about making is a walk along the crests of the Rocky Mountains: 3,100 miles of desert and mountains, through Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado and New Mexico. To get back to the mountains where I grew up. And to get lost, so that I can find myself.”

We suggest: trekking every mile of what is officially called the Continental Divide Trail is a tall order: Matthew would need to pack a tent, blister pads, a llama and Ray Mears. But it is possible to sample the eye-widening glory of the Rockies on a Wyoming wilderness hike with KE Adventure Travel (017687 73966, www.keadventure.com). Its 16-day guided group trek in Yellowstone and Grand Teton includes geysers, grizzlies, a hike to the summit of Table Mountain and the spectacular Belcher Canyon. With 10 days’ hard trekking, six nights in lodges and eight camping, it costs £1,295pp; flights can be arranged by the operator (from £580).

FELICITY KENDAL, actor
“I’ve always wanted to go to the Maldives. What appeals is the sea, the sky at night... I just want to read and swim, and listen to my 19-year-old and his friends splashing in the sea. I guess I’m trying to re-create my early days in Goa, which was a Robinson Crusoe kind of thing — but with fresher sheets this time.”

We suggest: for maximum seclusion, Felicity should head for the Filitheyo Island Resort, blissfully marooned on the North Nilandhe atoll. Even Maldivians think of it as quiet. The island is triangular, and two sides are lined with nothing but sea-tickled sand — which means wide acres of private reading room. If Felicity’s son wants more than swimming, the resort has volleyball, windsurfing, catamaran sailing and stunning scuba action. Regaldive (0870 220 1777, www.regal-diving.co.uk) offers a week in a “water villa” for four, half-board, from £1,135pp.

JERRY SPRINGER, TV presenter
“I’m a keen cigar-smoker but, of course, you can’t get Cubans in the USA. So I’d love, one day, to visit Havana. I’m drawn to the image of the city before Castro — the architecture, the rhythm of the place, the lifestyle. The closest we have is South Beach, in Miami, and I love it there, even if I’ll never have a South Beach body.”

We suggest: for a thick puff of Old Havana, Jerry needs the Ambos Mundos, the most famous “heritage hotel” in town, with good mojitos, a rooftop restaurant and Ernest Hemingway in the guestbook. There’s a cigar shop right next door, though Jerry should certainly take the short walk to the Partagas factory (tours £11), to watch its 300 hand-rollers at work and pick up just about any cigar made in Cuba today. A week at the Ambos Mundos starts at £760pp with Voyager Cuba (01580 766222, www.voyagercuba.co.uk).

ANDY GARCIA, actor
“I have island blood from my upbringing in Cuba, and for me there’s nothing better than proximity to the ocean. It’s a feeling I discovered again in the Bahamas. I often go there, for the fishing and the peace, and to stare out across a huge sea. But I rarely travel these days without my children. Maybe there’s a good family place we can find there.”

We suggest: for a full-on, family-sized blast in the Bahamas, it’s got to be the Atlantis Resort,on Paradise Island. Don’t expect subtlety, though: it has a 34-acre pool complex, a dolphin conservation centre, a golf course, a casino, restaurants and bars. Seven nights start at £879, room-only (£169 per child) with Virgin Holidays (0870 220 2757, www.virginholidays.com). For families with fishermen, the sequestered Abaco Club might be more the thing. It offers great bone fishing, supervised kids’ stuff and villa-style living in cottages on the beach: Caribtours (020 7751 0660, www.caribtours.co.uk) offers seven nights, B&B, for a family of four from £7,992.

CRAIG DOYLE, TV presenter
“With my job, I’ve swum with everything, eaten everything and photographed everything, but travelling with my children gives a fresh spin on familiar places. I want them to experience the wilds of Africa. I’d love to take them before the summer, but the children are too young for malaria tablets. How can we do it safely?”

We suggest: Amakhala game reserve, in South Africa’s malaria-free Eastern Cape, is perfect for game-viewing with your little monkeys. It has 7,000 acres of lions, rhinos, elephants and cheetahs, and loves children, laying on nature walks, baby-sitting and playtime activities. There are brilliant beaches in the area, too: Craig should go in March, to combine game-viewing with a soak in the sun. Rainbow Tours (020 7226 1004, www.rainbowtours.co.uk) has three nights, full-board, at Amakhala, with four nights, B&B, in a beachfront apartment at the House on the Bay, in Jeffries Bay, from £1,495pp, including car hire (children aged 2-11 £875).

Additional research by Julia Buckley, Sally Howard and Caroline Rees

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