Traveling with the Stars: Jill Scott

— -- Grammy-award winning singer-turned-actress Jill Scott stars in The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, premiering March 29 on HBO. Scott, who is pregnant with her first child and due April 25, spent the fall in Botswana filming the series. She shares her travel highlights and tips with USA TODAY.

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

A: This is going to sound odd but Los Angeles. I travel here often but I'm always working and I never really have an opportunity to just hang out. Just recently I've been able to go to the beach. I hung out in Malibu, had a really great dinner at Nobu and just chilled. I didn't feel any pretentiousness. I made new friends and it's actually a really warm, comfortable place for me to be — surprise, surprise. I'm 36 years old. Nothing has gotten me out of Philadelphia. I moved 20 minutes away from Philly. That's about it. But I'm really enjoying California. I think (I'm going to have the baby in California). I can't get anywhere else after 32 weeks. I'm stuck, happily.

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

A: The Okavango Delta in Botswana. It is incredibly lush jungle but oh my goodness. Every animal that you can imagine is at the watering hole. Of course you're in a Jeep but being able to see it all happen is amazing. The sounds, the smells, the interactions between the animals is so awe-inspiring and life affirming. I don't know if I've ever been as thankful. It's fantastic. You realize how small you really are in the scope of all this life happening around you. The frogs are singing and the crickets are singing. Then the lion will roar and you hear it five miles away. You don't even know where he is. Magnificent. There are birds that glow in the dark. For anyone who feels they are overwhelmed by their job or maybe they take their job too seriously or are working too hard, I say go to a safari, particularly the Okavango Delta, and just be humbled.

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

A: The Kalahari Desert (in Botswana). Although it is another safari, it's vastly different from the Okavango Delta. First of all, it was my very first safari and I was terrified. They kept telling me, "Well if you happen to see a lion just stay still and don't run," which has been my mantra ever since. If life is difficult, if it's a struggle, just a pain in ass, don't run. You've got to stand your ground.

But the Kalahari Desert itself is so full of intricacies, so much life. The Bushmen — they are called the Basarwa — know every single thing about the desert, what plant this is, what kind of poop this is, is the animal pregnant that pooped this poop. It was the most amazing experience. I learned so much. We stayed in a magnificent place with some of the best food that I've ever eaten, a place called Jack's Camp. The first thing I noticed was quiet. I don't think I had ever been in quiet before. There's quiet and you turn off all the lights and you relax. That was another surprisingly wonderful experience.

Q: What's your favorite vacation spot?

A: The Riviera Maya in Mexico. I stayed at a place called The Tides. There are 30 villas, if that. You have your own private heated plunge pool, which was fantastic, a hammock, a place to paint, a place to read, fantastic massages, delicious food, healthy food and beautiful weather. Their only intention is for you to relax. By the third hour when I was there I went "ahhh." Cellphones don't work. You have to go to the lobby in order to get on the computer so who's going to do all of that. Plenty of books to read, plenty of trips to take. I parasailed. I jet skied. I got on an ATV and went through jungle but then I chilled. I chilled really hard.

Q: Can you offer an insider tip or recommendation for your favorite vacation place?

A: At The Tides sleep on a floating bed. They have several of them on the beach. It's like a cradle for babies but it's not. It's for adults. It is meant to lull you into rest. Being that close to the water and hearing the crash of the waves and the smell of the water and the air, it was some of the best rest I've ever had.