Gimme gimme gimme ... a return trip to the Maldives, says Kate Normington

I’m Kate Normington and I play Tanya in the stage show, Mamma Mia! I suppose I’m a strange mix of outgoing with an almost pathological need for home, quiet and solitude. Tanya is very different to me in some respects. She is very much about glamour and presentation and how things look on the outside. Tanya never has a bad hair day and is always immaculately groomed. I live in sweats and jeans.  

I travelled to New York when I was younger. It astonished me at the time with its sheer enormity, both physically and emotionally.

I have also lived in London, which struck me with its alternately fascinating and colonising history, beautiful architecture and ever-increasing population. London was always interesting but grinding in terms of work and space. There were always things to do and places to visit in London: museums, parks, gardens, historical landmarks, all open to the public. The often-used phrase, “If you’re tired of London, you’re tired of life,” is only really applicable if you have disposable income to indulge your more corporeal fantasies.

I grew up in Johannesburg and we’d sometimes drive to Durban for our holidays, to stay with family friends. My childhood holidays were infrequent. With a single parent, we were often curtailed, and relied on invitations from friends, although I never felt deprived. 

My first trip abroad was to Australia. My mother had taken my sister and me to Adelaide so she could visit her brother, who had been ill, and we’d ended up living there for four years. It’s similar in climate to South Africa but very different culturally. I remember Aussies as self-possessed and unapologetic, not like their sometimes apologetic South African counterparts. 

The most difficult, remote or adventurous destination I’ve ever been to was Kandholhudhoo, a remote Maldivian island my husband took me to when we first knew each other. I don’t think I have witnessed such peace and remote charm since. Maybe one day we’ll go again.

I am not a long-suffering traveller. I like to have arrived, and don’t completely enjoy a long journey.

Three words to describe my travel personality: niggly, humourless and occasionally “homicidal”. 

If I were hosting a tourist in my hometown, Cape Town, I’d take them to Kirstenbosch, the most beautiful garden in the world attached to its own magical mountain. They are the equivalent of Narnia, and luckily we don’t have to get into a cupboard to get there. I’d also take them to Kalk Bay for the eateries (Olympia Cafe) and the bric-a-brac shops. Maybe a trip to Montagu for some Hemelhuijs cooking and accommodation or Hermanus to see the whales and take in the pretty views. 

I don’t have a favourite international city. Cities are cities. New York’s reputation as “the city that never sleeps” just makes me feel terribly anxious, as sleep should always be more important than a good time. Boring but helpful. 

My worst travel experience was flights to London on SAA, cramped and claustrophobic with chair space sufficient only for preteen athletes who can pretzel themselves into their impossible dimensions.

I am not really an adventurous eater when I travel. China always has interesting choices but being a vegetarian/pescatarian, I always declined. 

The one thing I always make sure I do on holiday is take pictures, especially of people’s dogs. And I always ask their names. Talking to people can sometimes be nice too...

My ultimate bucket-list destination is probably Prague or the Galápagos Islands. 

My perfect holiday involves walking around new and out-of-the-way haunts.

For a night out, Singapore was fun, with lots of fancy eateries and clubs but I’d rather be in bed reading or watching Netflix. I also think it’s the country with the most welcoming/friendly locals.

Parisians can be a bit sticky. You have to be able to talk a bit of schoolgirl French and only if that becomes insufferable to them will they deign to speak English. This will always be better than you strangling their language with your bare tongue.

When travelling, I am a sucker for ice cream.

For souvenirs, I like to bring home shells from the sea wherever we’ve been. 

When it comes to solo travel, I’m a bit of a nervous filly, so I like a friend to travel with. I used to visit my mom in London frequently on my own, though, without any major mishaps, so I imagine I’d ultimately be all right. If I were going on an epic journey I’d want to go with my husband, Saul. 

My most relaxing destination is a spa in Sea Point. 

My best holiday ever was travelling to Italy with my husband. It was mysterious and magical in parts but always accompanied by great food and salt-of-the-earth exchanges with some real characters. I also love the Italian accent and would attempt it when out of earshot.

I once heard an Aussie girl on a night bus out of Trafalgar Square describing South Africans to her friend as “Thinking they were jam tarts!” I thought it was reasonably accurate and hilarious. Now when I see South African travellers overseas, I think “Please don’t embarrass us back home because of your jam-tart ways.”

• Mamma Mia! is showing at Cape Town’s Artscape Opera House until April 7 and at Joburg’s Montecasino Teatro from April 12 until May 26.

Tickets can be purchased here.