McConaughey’s wanderlust

Matthew McConaughey craves adventure, said Tom Shone in The Daily Telegraph (U.K.). In 2004, the actor bought an Airstream trailer and would hit the road alone whenever he grew tired of the Hollywood bubble. He traveled across the U.S. and followed the trail of his favorite bluesmen to Africa, backpacking up the Niger River and attending music festivals in the depths of the Sahara desert. “I have to check out so I can listen to myself,” he says. “For the first 10 days it’s hell. Can’t stand my company. Then you stick with it and about day nine, always day nine, a little old thing goes off. ‘Well, guess what, man, you’re stuck with me. Let’s work on this.’” McConaughey now has a wife and three young children, so when he feels the need to escape, he simply takes his family with him. “We all say, ‘This is just part of the adventure.’ When we were on the Mississippi River for Mud, we decided to stay in the trailer on [location]. Talk about Huckleberry Finn. No toys, no electricity.” He’s now planning a trip to Brazil to see his wife’s family, and has set a couple of rules for the vacation. “Everyone can only take a carry-on backpack. All five of us in one room. Oh, jeez. But once we do it, it’s going to be fun. There’ll be more stories to tell.”

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