What was your first trip?

My first trip was when I went in 1974 from my grandparents' home in New Delhi to be reunited with my mother in New York City . I flew from Delhi to Cairo to Rome to London, and finally to JFK where my mother stood waiting on a chilly Halloween night. I shall never forget that night, but every trip has been an adventure.

Where in the world did you have your favorite meal?

My favorite meal ever would have to be in the backwaters of Kerala on a house boat. My daughter and I traveled there last year and had a sublime time on this vintage Chinese fishing clipper. There were so many little dishes of vegetable curries, seafood preparations, pickles, and soupy lentils served over puffy Keralan brown rice. I didn't know where to begin or end, and of course I wound up eating too much. Each dish was different from the last and they were all placed in little mounds on this beautiful green banana leaf. As we slurped the food with our hands we tried desperately not to rip the banana leaf so as not to lose a single drop of anything.

Whats it like having your daughter travel with you?

Its great. She has been traveling with me since she was six weeks old and she is a good little traveler. She keeps herself busy and she doesnt fussa lot of times when we are getting off the plane people will realize there was a child sitting behind them or in front of them and are shocked. She has more stamps on her passport than anyone else. Like I said, we just got back from India and she wanted to stay another month. She didnt want to come home so. She is a happy little traveler. She is a good gypsy. ... I hope that all of this travel makes her into a more broad-minded human being as an adult.

What else has travel taught you?

I hope that travel has made me a more broad-minded person and to see the beauty and benefits that you can take from different cultures. From a very pragmatic point of view, travel has taught me how to cook and to be knowledgeable about my career in food . I have learned more about people by studying what different cultures eat through my documentaries, my writing, and just common daily exchanges with folks all over the world.

What does travel mean to you?

Travel to me means freedom, escape, the extinguishing of ignorance and prejudice, and the exchange not only of cultures and language but ideas. And hopefully greater understanding among people in different parts of the world. It is the single most important thing that I think a young person should do before they are 25. Earlier in fact. I am sure that the vast amount of miles I covered before the age of 17, crossing different continents, better prepared me for the life I have now.

Why do you travel?

I travel because a life without travel is uninteresting, perhaps even unacceptable to me. I travel whenever possible and now I make sure my daughter travels with me as often as possible, too. I travel to see the world but I also travel to see more of myself.

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Why I Travel: Padma Lakshmi - Cond Nast Traveler