Ben AinslieOlympic gold medallist sailor
The best place I've sailed was...
Sydney Harbour. It's so beautiful and obviously in summer the weather's great, but it's challenging too because of the topography of the land and the high buildings, which create a good breeze.
The worst place I've sailed was...
A lake outside Moscow in 2005. It was part of the Russian bid to host the 2012 Olympics and we sailed in the Finn class world championships there. It was a bad place to sail - cold, wet and a small lake.
The last person i sat next to on a plane was...
Rebecca Adlington, the swimmer who won two gold medals in Beijing. We were in first class on the BA flight back from China and I'd never met her before but she was really lovely and dead excited. That flight was pretty much a party all the way as 90 per cent of the passengers were the British Olympic team and the atmosphere was fantastic.
I learnt to sail in...
Cornwall, on Restronguet Creek near where my family live. My parents still live down there and I try to go back to visit at least once a year. It's great to get away to the West Country - it has such a relaxed, laid-back atmosphere.
My favourite hotel is...
The Badrutts Palace right on the lake in St Moritz, Switzerland. I've competed in the regatta there a couple of times and been lucky enough to stay in this hotel. I think the rooms cost thousands of euros a night - fortunately we stayed for free.
My most memorable meal was in...
A small beach shack (one of only about five) on a tiny flat island called Anegada in the British Virgin Islands in the Caribbean. We sat on rickety plastic chairs on the beach and ate fresh grilled lobster with herbs and spices.
My favourite beach is...
Bondi in Sydney. I've always liked it. There's always something going on there and I love the fact that it's this great natural beach but has the city right behind it with cool restaurants and shops all along the front. There's a great atmosphere.
I won't go back to...
Moscow in a hurry. It is interesting that both Russia and China are essentially one-party states and have similar set-ups, but in China I found the local people very happy and friendly whereas everyone I met in Russia seemed depressed. The attitude of the local people can really make a massive impact on your experience of a place.
My top travel tip is...
To beat jet lag you have to be brutal with yourself. Set your watch to the new time zone as soon as you get on the plane and force yourself to either stay awake or go to sleep depending on what time it is otherwise you'll take a week to recover at the other end. On long-haul flights I always try to sleep as much as possible. I think you can get too carried away with all the in-flight entertainment.
I used to bring back...
Presents for all the family, but I'm now at the stage where I travel so much I don't really bother buying things unless I'm somewhere really special. In China I was given a number of weird little gifts by the locals, including some tiny boxes and a glass vial holding some of the seaweed that had bloomed in the sailing area just before the Olympics. They'd collected it up, put it in small glass cases and made them into necklaces!
· Ben Ainslie is a judge on the Visa travel photo competition 'Secret Summer Shot'. Enter at visaurlife.co.uk
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