MUSICIAN and TV personality Professor Green has devoted himself to his career, until he recently discovered the joys of travelling.

The 36-year-old London-born rapper, an ambassador for Unilever’s campaign against UK Hunger, talks about trips, going solo and his travel disaster...

Do you enjoy holidays?

“I’ve just discovered the pleasure of holidays. This is the first year of my life where I’ve gone on holidays which didn’t have work attached to them.

“I used to feel guilty about being away and relaxing.

“I’d be internally worrying that I should be working.

“I had this working-class guilt and would think, ‘If I’m not working, I’m going to drop the ball and the world’s going to stop’.

“Now I’ve realised the world doesn’t stop, it keeps turning.

“And the sad thing is, you don’t see any of it, so now I’ve started to broaden my horizons and see a bit more of the world.”

Which places have you visited?

“I’ve been to New York, Florence, Morocco, Greece, Spain and Australia.

“It’s been amazing.

“I don’t like planning trips ahead of time, I just like to be spontaneous and take off.”

Do you have memories of childhood holidays?

“No, because I didn’t go on any apart from one year my Nan, who worked three jobs and scraped together the money to take me to Disneyland Paris for a couple of days.

“It was brilliant, but she got herself into a lot of debt to manage it, which was tough and I felt really bad for her.

“Apart from that, it was just a day-trip once a year with the kids who lived on the estate, and we’d get taken by coach to a seaside resort.

“We went to Margate, Southend and Clacton-on-Sea.”

What’s your favourite city in the world?

“London 200 percent. I don’t even have to think about that, because it’s a city that has everything, from beautiful architecture to fantastic shops, restaurants and clubs.

“And I love the people, Londoners are amazing.”

Which destination would you most like to return to?

“The Amalfi coast in Italy is my favourite place in the world. The food is incredible, the people are lovely, the weather’s great.

“I could go up to Ravello and just look out at that coastline for hours and hours.

“It’s my happy place. I’ve visited twice, but that’s nowhere near enough.”

Where do you dream of visiting?

“Japan is top of my travel list, not just Tokyo.

“I’d love to see the countryside as well, and the famous cherry blossom in spring.”

Have you ever been on holiday on your own?

“I took a trip on my own to New York and loved it. I’m becoming more and more comfortable in my own company and more confident about just setting off and taking myself out of my comfort zone. I think there’s a lot to be said for solo travel, because we’re all so obsessed with the constant need to be in contact with something or someone. Also, I think being solitary for a while, without the distraction of social media, is important for mental health.

“I find it really boosts my creativity and my imagination while I’m out on my own.

“It’s a discipline to do it, but it’s something I need to practise more.”

Do you prefer a staycation or a far-flung destination?

“Sometimes, it’s just nice to stay at home. I miss my home when I’m away touring. I’ve enjoyed building some routine back into my life, getting back into shape and being healthy, and it’s lovely to relax at home with my dogs.”

Have you had any travel disasters?

“When I was much much younger, I got on a plane back from Ibiza to London, having been working and not been to sleep all night.

“I was also hungover and as soon as we landed, I had to transfer on to another flight to Edinburgh for my first ever headline show. Believe me, it was pretty traumatic.”