Traveling with the Stars: World Series MVP Cole Hamels
— -- Philadelphia Phillies' pitcher Cole Hamels, the reigning MVP of the World Series, doesn't report to spring training in Clearwater, Fla., until Feb. 14. But he prefers to start working out early and in January drove south, where he spent a day at Disney World. He shares his travel highlights and tips with USA TODAY.
Q: Where have you been recently that you liked or were surprised by?
A:For New Year's we went to North Tahoe (Calif.). I hadn't been there in a long time. It was just a very nice vacation with the snow. It was fun and festive and a good way to bring in the New Year. I went with my wife (former Playmate and Survivor star Heidi Strobel), brother-in-law, sister-in-law, a cousin and a couple of buddies with their girlfriends. It was a group of 10. We rented a cabin right on the water at the Hyatt Regency.
Q: What's the best place you've ever visited and why?
A:Queensland, New Zealand. We went there last year at this time. Obviously with what I do I miss all of the summer activities so going into the Southern Hemisphere and having it summer again was great. The weather was perfect.
Queenstown is known to be the adventure capital of the world. Unfortunately I didn't get to do all of the sky diving and bungee jumping but just being able to be outside — there's a lot of running paths, mountain biking, kayaking, white water rafting. I grew up surfing (in San Diego) and going camping and hiking so that brought back a lot of good memories. The culture in New Zealand, they're so genuine and nice. They have great food.
Q: What's the most surprising/unexpected place you're ever visited and why?
A:South Africa. We went there for our honeymoon two years ago. You don't know what to expect. Then you go to this actually breathtaking, beautiful land. It has a lot to offer with Cape Town, the wineries, the restaurants, the ocean and the views. You can go to the wildlife parks, which are 100 times better than any zoo you could ever go to in the United States. That's a really good feeling to be able to explore and be out in the open and try to look back on what life was about 100 years ago when you see some of these really old towns.
Q: What's your favorite vacation spot and why?
A:My favorite vacation spot would have to be Sydney. It was a fun place to go and has so much to offer. You can take wine trips or stay in a lot of bed and breakfasts outside of Sydney or you can go to the wildlife preserves where you actually hold koala bears and kangaroos, which I thought was pretty impressive. The city life is pretty spectacular. We went for Australia Day, which is their Fourth of July. They put on one of the most impressive shows I've ever seen and it almost dwarfs what America does for the Fourth of July. They have a tug boat race in the harbor, which was unbelievably packed watching this race. You can go climb the big (Sydney Harbour) bridge, which was a really cool experience, and see the breathtaking views. I grew up on the beach but I don't think anything can really compare to what Bondi Beach has to offer. It's a cool beach with great waves and clear water.
Q: Can you offer an insider tip or recommendation for your favorite vacation place?
A:If you're going to Sydney, try to call ahead and check up on prices. That was the thing that surprised us. Australia was more expensive than I thought just because of the food prices. You really need to have a good game plan if you're not ready to splurge. You go to South Africa and you can almost eat at any restaurant because it's really cheap. And then you go to Australia and it's like, oh my gosh, I can't believe how expensive food is.