By Elizabeth Bradley Last Updated: 2:49PM GMT 12 Nov 2008  Rolf Harris and his family were awe-struck by their trip to the Grand Canyon Photo: GETTY  The Shangri-La Singapore: Rolf Harris's favourite hotel  Rolf Harris will be re-releasing Two Little Boys next week Photo: JOHN TAYLOR  Which was your best holiday?  Many years ago, I hired a Winnebago, and my wife, daughter and I went to Arizona to see the Grand Canyon. When we first arrived we drove into the car park and through the ponderosa pines you could see beautiful blue hills in the distance. It was only when we walked to the edge of the car park that we realised that, on the other side of the fence, the ground drops away and it's about a mile straight down. The hills in the distance were 10 miles away, but on the other side of the gap. It was so overwhelming that my wife and daughter both burst into tears. The back of my legs went all funny – and they still do just thinking about it. It was scary as hell.  And the best hotel you've stayed in?  The Mandarin Oriental in Singapore is sensational. They have a selection of restaurants all serving really good food. I like a hotel when the staff are courteous and not too familiar.  What do you need for a perfect holiday?  I'm a funny old fish because I always like to be doing or making something. I'm forever taking things away with me to work on. The most infuriating time was when I took a little drill to Jamaica, so I could cut and polish semi-precious stones. I drove everyone mad with the sound as they tried to relax on the beach below while I sat on my balcony drilling a piece of jade. I was annoyed when I finished and then dropped the bloody thing and it smashed into pieces.  What's your best piece of travel advice?  Always make sure you are exhausted before you get on the plane so you can sleep most of the way. I don't usually have to try because I'm a last-minute packer, so I'm up most of the night. I only drink water before flying and I never drink alcohol on a flight because it gives me a headache. I simply put in my earplugs, slap on my eye mask and try to relax as much as I can.  Where do you want to go next?  At Christmas, I'm doing a series of concerts at the Playhouse Theatre at the Sydney Opera House, where I performed in the very first concert back in 1973. It will be lovely to return to something I enjoyed so immensely. However, I struggle with the heat now. I grew up in Perth, where it used to be 104F in the shade every Christmas, but I can't cope with that now because I'm used to Britain.  What do you always take with you?  I always have to take my wobble board, didgeridoo and piano accordion. No, I'm joking! Although I do take the accordion for a sing-song if I'm going somewhere with a bunch of mates.  Which was your worst holiday?  Many years ago I had five days off from a tour so I went to Dunk Island on the Great Barrier Reef. The bay in front of the hotel was so lovely I went snorkelling. I was under water for an hour or so looking at the fish, and when I got out I was burnt to glory. They gave me some calamine lotion but the burns were so fierce I ended up in hospital for the next four days. I think they assume because you're Australian you know that the sun is stronger there; no one even bothered to warn me.  And your worst experience on holiday?  I was flying from Sydney back to London and we stopped in Singapore. When I got off the plane I handed over my passport and the officer said: "It's expired today – you can't travel on this passport and you can't come into the country, either." I had to go through hell's own delight to get special dispensation to meet an Australian embassy representative and get a special document to get me back to England. I felt such a pillock. My wife's done a similar thing before, when she took one of my old passports to the airport rather than her own, so at least I'm not alone.  What's the biggest packing mistake you've made?  Nothing too dramatic, I just pack too many clothes. I wear one shirt the whole holiday and everything comes back crumpled but clean.  And the worst hotel you've ever stayed in?  Back in 1969 we were recording Rolf's Walkabout and had to spend the night in a small hotel in the outback. We got there in the middle of the night and our tour manager told us to take any key from behind the desk and help ourselves to a room. The following morning the landlady was shouting and screaming at us, saying we shouldn't have done this and we shouldn't have done that. She then served us the worst breakfast I've ever had.  What do you avoid on holiday?  I try to avoid places where I'll be recognised so I can really relax. Being trapped on a cruise is my idea of a nightmare. The problem is that, wherever I go, there's always someone who recognises me.  What do you hate about holidays?  I hate taking time off from my work because I do a job I love. It's not like I'm getting away from a life of drudgery, so the urge for me to go away is not that strong, which drives my poor wife mad.
Australian entertainer Rolf Harris on getting turned away by airport officials    and the time he took an electric drill on holiday.