Alan Cumming can — and has — done it all, or at least a heck of a lot: He’s a stage and screen actor, singer, author, and activist. The 51-year-old Tony Award-winner, known mainly for his roles in “Cabaret’’ on Broadway and in the CBS drama “The Good Wife,’’ will be performing in Massachusetts next week: At the Old Whaling Church in Edgartown on July 14, and at Provincetown Town Hall on July 16.
Born in Aberfeldy, a small town in Scotland, Cumming lives in New York City (and has a home in the Catskills) with his husband, illustrator Grant Shaffer, and their two dogs, Jerry and Lala.
His book “Not My Father’s Son: A Memoir,’’ released in 2014, was a New York Times bestseller, and he has another book, “You Gotta Get Bigger Dreams: My Life in Stories & Pictures,’’ coming out in September. We caught up with Cumming to talk about all things travel.
Favorite vacation spot? I have a house in the Catskill Mountains, northwest of New York City. It really is the most magical sanctuary, and although I know it doesn’t really count as a vacation spot because it is my home, I feel every moment spent there is a feast or a rejuvenation. And that’s a vacation to me.
Favorite food or drink while vacationing? Hummus. I am obsessed with hummus, and luckily it is one of those foods that has transcended borders and cultures. You can get hummus anywhere. I am winning.
Where would you like to travel to but haven’t? Iceland. I am just crazy for bleak and beautiful. And I love that you can drive a road that goes round the entire country. Also, coming from Scotland, I tend to be more drawn to smaller countries. They just make me feel more comfortable.
One item you can’t leave home without when traveling? A book. Even if I am taking the shortest trip and I will have no time to even read my e-mails – let alone get the chance to pick up a book — still I must have one packed just in case. Books to me mean such luxury: the luxury of time.
Aisle or window? Always window, so I can hide, so I can see the world passing by, so I don’t get banged on the leg with the salad trolley.
Favorite childhood travel memory? The seemingly interminable car ride — that was only probably a few hours — to holiday with my Granny in Inverness. I remember the excitement of turning the corner into her street.
Guilty pleasure when traveling? I don’t adhere to the notion that a pleasure should ever be guilty.
Best travel tip? Moisturize, moisturize, moisturize! And drink water.
JULIET PENNINGTON
