Actor Dominic Monaghan, 39, has had starring roles in “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy and the ABC hit series “Lost.” The British actor's latest project is hosting his own Travel Channel series, “Wild Things With Dominic Monaghan,” in which, he says, he gets to enjoy searching the world for unique and amazing wildlife. “I generally travel with field guides, so I tend to know what animals I may see,” says the Los Angeles resident. “But I'll always research the main or capital cities I'm going to. I seek out the best night markets, because that's a great way to learn about a country's people.” An edited version of our conversation follows.

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What is your favorite vacation destination?

I like New Zealand, India, Thailand, Palau and Spain for culture, food, people, diving and friends and family.

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What untapped destination should people know about?

Vejer de la Frontera is a gorgeous town on the southern tip of Spain that's well worth seeing. The Greek islands deserve our love and have such a lovely pace of life and superb food. The quiet side of Crete and Kos are both nice. Laos and its capital, Vientiane, are untapped areas of Southeast Asia, with friendly people, great food and superb opportunities to find animals.

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What was the first trip you took as a child?

Every year we traveled to Italy when I was a kid. I loved the food, the weather and swimming in the sea. I fell in love with snorkeling, and it has never stopped.

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Where are your favorite weekend getaways?

Palm Desert is pretty special. Sleep when it's hot. Find rattlesnakes in the late afternoon. Camp, stars, sky. Joshua Tree is also fantastic just to get into nature. I like Big Sur too. Amazing trees and unspoiled coastlines. Chance to see some big marine mammals!

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What are your five favorite cities?

Berlin, Wellington, Bangkok, New York, Sydney.

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Where would you like to go that you have never been to before?

So many places! Christmas Island, Easter Island, the Cook Islands, Tasmania, Jordan, Antarctica, Iceland, China, Papua New Guinea, Chile, Svalbard, Hong Kong, Tonga, Tavarua …

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What would be your dream trip?

I've yet to do Nepal, and everyone I know falls in love with it. I'd like to escape there for a month and write, read and escape.

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What's your guilty pleasure when traveling?

My tablet filled with movies and episodes of “Survivor,” and protein bars and sachets of peanut butter in my suitcase.

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What is your best and/or worst vacation memory?

Best holiday memory? I was starving and had spent all day traveling to Goa from Bengaluru in India. I arrived at a beach and a gentleman asked me if I was hungry. I told him I was. He told me to go swim in the ocean and when I got back, he would have food. I watched him from the sea build a fire and make some bread. By the time I'd returned, he had made me a fantastic spicy chicken tikka and fresh naan. It was the best meal I've ever had and it cost me about $2. I worked in the Ukraine once. Awful from start to finish. Everyone seemed to be trying to take my money. The food was awful. The Champions League Final was on, but I couldn't watch it anywhere.

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