‘MY IDEAL holiday would involve jumping out of a plane, in New Zealand or Patagonia, and, in a perfect world, never landing. I love bungee jumping and want to try a parachute jump, with the longest free-fall possible. I love the sense of liberation that comes with falling through the air. While it lasts, there isn’t a single variable in your control. You can only savour the sensation.

I’m afraid of lots of things, including bumble bees, but I don’t seem to have the gene that causes midair panic. Once, I was flying to New York through a thunderstorm, with the worst turbulence ever, and I loved every minute. It felt as if giants were playing tennis with our airplane. The man next door to me was sobbing and gripping my arm in terror, but I found it very exciting.

My last holiday was a trip to Big Sur, on the Californian coast, with a few friends. We stayed at an old progressive hippie retreat called Esalen, where Aldous Huxley had lived and Hunter S Thompson had once been a security guard; Henry Miller and Orson Welles both lived up the road, too.

Big Sur has to be one of the most beautiful places on the planet. The spectacular Santa Lucia mountains run right down to the Pacific Ocean and Esalen sits on a plateau in between, with a cascading canyon stream and hot mineral springs gushing out of a seaside cliff. Most of the other guests were there to do yoga or release their inner potential, but I just wanted to have a good time, in spectacular surroundings. I spent most of my time hanging out with the punk kids who worked in the kitchen and getting drunk, while those around me wove baskets and did the lotus position.

My hols: Ewan McGregor

The film star tells Julia Buckley about biking, bungee jumps and being strip-searched

• My hols: Ricky Gervais

My hols: Michael Caine

The actor has been a bum in Paris, a callow youth in Cannes and a superstar in St Paul de Vence. Not a lot of people know that

My Hols: Anastacia

The American pop star Anastacia recently threw a lavish wedding party in Mexico - but didn’t break the bank

• Frequent flyer: Erin O'Connor

BACKGROUND

• My hols: Phil Daniels

• My hols: Roger Moore

• My hols: David Mitchell

• My hols: Tracey Emin

• My hols: Colin Firth

BACKGROUND

• My hols: Ricky Gervais

• My hols: Sam Robards

• My hols: Jimmy Carr

• My hols: Johnny Vegas

• My hols: Moby

Related Links

• My hols: Groove Armada’s Tom Findlay

I spend so much time in hotels that I can’t stand them – especially anything with a star-rating, which guarantees that it’ll be anonymous, airless and impersonal. The one place I do love is The Phoenix in San Francisco, a funky old rock’n’roll hotel in the middle of a ghetto, where the sidewalks flash with gold teeth and kids deal bundles of dollars as if they were trading cards. I sometimes wonder what’s wrong with me, that I’m more comfortable somewhere like that than in a beautiful hotel overlooking the ocean. I guess that’s where I feel at home, as I spent most of my formative years living in really rough neighbourhoods.

The best holiday I ever had was in 1988, when I went water-skiing with friends in upstate Connecticut. We stayed in a house on the edge of a lake and spent the entire time on a boat, going as fast as possible before jumping off the back – or being pulled along in an inner tube while the boat driver tried to make us fall out. At dawn and dusk the surface of the lake was like glass – no waves, nothing choppy – and skimming along it was one of the best things I’ve ever experienced... nearly up there with free-falling.

My favourite place is probably New Zealand, because it’s so incredibly beautiful and varied. It’s a place where many of my musician friends have moved and I wouldn’t be surprised if I ended up there too, in a city like Auckland, with its vibrant culture, beautiful black-sand beaches and 20-minute drive to the mountains. Where else can you find all that in one place?

Another place that looks spectacular is Patagonia. I like the desolate air of sparsely populated places, like the north of Scotland and the American southwest; and the dramatic landscape of islands, glaciers, icebergs and mountains in Patagonia really appeals to me.

I have a rule that if I’ve never done something before, I have to try it at least once. So, for my next holiday, I’m going on a meditation retreat in Iowa. It’s not something I would normally do and I’ve no idea what to expect, but I was invited by David Lynch, and if David Lynch asks you to do something, you do it.’

Moby talked to Lizzie Enfield

Times recommends

• Oasis of the Seas: the Times review
• The 20 best new year party places to stay
• Green Spaces 2009: are you the winning writer?