Traveling with the Stars: American Idol's Rickey Minor

— -- Rickey Minor is the Emmy-nominated music director of American Idol, which ends its season May 19-20, and his Rickey's Review segment airs on American Idol Extra each Thursday on Fox Reality Channel. The author of There's No Traffic on the Extra Mile has traveled extensively to collaborate with recording artists, including Whitney Houston, Christina Aguilera, Alicia Keys, Ray Charles and Beyoncé Knowles, and shares his travel highlights and tips with USA TODAY.

Q: Where have you been recently that you liked or were surprised by?

A: Kitzbuhel, Austria. It's known as a major ski destination. I don't ski and it was during the summer. I was surprised at how it still felt like it could be anywhere in the United States in the countryside. It has rolling hills. It could have been Seattle. It was so green. I figured with the snow they must get a lot of green but I was surprised with the food. We stayed up all night long and they just kept various cuisines coming at the Grand SPA Resort A-ROSA, nestled in the mountains. I must have slept like nobody's business. The rooms opened up into the mountains. It's like a little slice of heaven.

Q: What's the best place you've ever visited?

A: The best place is Montreux with the jazz festival and the energy around it. Plus you're right there on the water. I remember playing there one year and my wife and son went. We stayed at this hotel that was just drop dead gorgeous. We had this huge suite. The weather was great. We went bike riding and sailing. There was so much to do and the atmosphere. It was one of the few times I felt like I was on holiday even though I was working because there was such a buzz around town.

Q: What's the most surprising/unexpected place you've ever visited?

A: South Africa. I went with Whitney Houston right after apartheid was abolished so this was historic. I expected the safaris and villages. I thought all of Africa would be like that because all I knew was what the news shows you or infomercials at 3 o' clock in the morning. In Cape Town I was surprised at how crystal clear the water is. And I thought maybe they wouldn't understand me ... But I had some great in-depth conversations, not only regarding politics, but religion and life, that were heart-wrenching and thought-provoking. I was moved. That's a place that I'd like to go and spend some time and get to see a little more.