Thom Sesma on his pilgrim credentials, Trader Joe’s trail mix, and never checking a bag

You won’t catch actor Thom Sesma waiting in line at the baggage carousel after a flight. The veteran Broadway actor, who has appeared in seven shows on the Great White Way — including in the original cast of “La Cage aux Folles” in the early 1980s — and many off-Broadway plays and musicals, said he refuses to check a bag, regardless of the duration or location of his trip. “Take half as much as you think you’ll need,” he advised in a recent phone call from New York City. “When you land, you leave the plane with your luggage and can get on your way. It makes everything so much easier.” And, he added, if you do need something, you can almost always buy it wherever you are. Sesma, who is appearing in “Black Swan” at American Repertory Theater through July 5, has traveled extensively, for both work and pleasure, and he and his wife, Penny Daulton, have completed the legendary pilgrimage route Camino de Santiago (in northern Spain) three times. “Besides marrying [Daulton}, it’s the single most important accomplishment in my life,” he said. Sesma said he is “so excited” for audiences to see “Black Swan,” which he called an “emotional thriller” that is “not like any other Broadway musical” he has ever seen or of which he has been a part. “It’s a dark journey into the mind of this dancer who is obsessed with ‘Swan Lake’,” he said. “It’s going to be spectacular entertainment … and even though it’s based on pre-existing material [it is adapted from the 2010 movie of the same name that starred Natalie Portman], it comes off like nothing ever seen before.” Sesma said he’s been “blown away” by the choreography (“it’s such an expression of creativity,” he said) and the dancers in the show. “I bow to them,” he said. “I hope I’m as good an actor as they are dancers.” Sesma was born in Japan and raised in Southern California before moving to New York City, which he still calls home — although now, he and Daulton, a former theater company manager, split their time between NYC and Oviedo, Spain. We caught up with Sesma to talk about all things travel.

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If you could travel anywhere right now, where would you go?

Oviedo. It’s where we’ve rented a cozy apartment right on the edge of the old city — the Casco Historico. We’ve been traveling back and forth since last year, making a second home for ourselves in this absolutely beautiful part of Spain. It’s between the northern mountain range of the Iberian Peninsula ­— the Picos de Europa — and the northern coast. The climate is more like the Pacific Northwest, cooler and greener than the rest of the country … and where we live in the city itself feels like something out of a storybook. It’s just so beautiful. There are thousands of places in the world to travel, but it feels like every time we venture out for a walk in this small city, we discover more reasons to love it.

Do you prefer booking trips through a travel agent or on your own?

My wife and I love booking everything on our own. It’s like working on a challenging puzzle, fitting all the pieces together — cost, timing, itineraries. … The end result is always really, really satisfying. I lied. My wife does it all. I love watching her do all the research and planning. I married well.

Thoughts on an “unplugged” vacation?

Love it; would recommend it to anyone. The rewards are quiet, solitude, genuine spontaneity, [and] companionship. Of course, over the last few years, apps have replaced real maps, and online forums have replaced guidebooks — so going “unplugged” is more than just putting down your mobile device. It takes an enormous amount of effort not to do something that has, in a very short time, become reflexive. But if you can do it, there’s absolutely no downside.

What has been your worst vacation experience?

I can’t think of a thing worth mentioning. I’ve been grateful for almost every single moment of every single vacation.

What is your favorite childhood travel memory?

We didn’t travel a lot when I was a kid. My dad was career Navy — more often than not on tours of duty — so when vacation time came around, he really just wanted to stay at home. But I remember one specific road trip when I was pretty young: We went up from San Diego to his hometown in San Jose, and I remember all of us having dinner at some goofy little restaurant called the Hungry Hippo, a restaurant that had what seemed like a million different types of burgers, which I thought was the coolest thing. The memory of that place is really vivid. I can’t believe I remember the name. Loved it.

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Do you vacation to relax, to learn, or for the adventure of it all?

Those things are not mutually exclusive, particularly the way that Penny, my wife, and I have traveled over the last few years: backpacking, on a pilgrimage across Spain, these transcendent, long walks — about 17 or 18 miles a day — immersing ourselves in the landscape, the culture, the road, the moment … relaxing, and learning more not only about where you are but who you are as well. What could be more of an adventure?

What book do you plan on bringing with you to read on your next vacation? My next vacation will be in the fall, but If I were going today, it would be “Flashlight” by Susan Choi. And “Don Quixote,” unabridged. Yeah. Because, you know … Spain.

If you could travel with one famous person/celebrity, who would it be?

Ah. I have to answer twice: once for the living, once for the dead. Living: Stanley Tucci, no question. He’s one of my heroes. Dead, there’s a list: Henry James. Mark Twain. Anthony Bourdain.

What is the best gift to give a traveler?

Advice. Never check a bag.

What is your go-to snack for a flight or a road trip?

Trail mix. If I have the chance to go to Trader Joe’s before flying, their selection of trail mixes is the best.

What is the coolest souvenir you’ve picked up on a vacation?

My pilgrim credentials, from the four times we’ve walked the Camino de Santiago — I also had one on a recent pilgrimage on the Via San Francesco, a 234-kilometer [145.4-mile] journey from Rome to Assisi. The credential — sometimes called a pilgrim passport — is a document that, in effect, identifies you as a pilgrim, and upon presenting it, allows you to stay at pilgrim hostels [called] albergues in Spain, gîtes in France, rifugi or ostelli in Italy. The credential is stamped at each place you stay or dine or stop for a café, and at the end of your journey, it’s full of colorful sellos [ink stamps], which are incredible memories of your entire journey.

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What is your favorite app/website for travel?

Gronze.com. #iykyk

What has travel taught you?

Never check a bag.

What is your best travel tip?

No, seriously. Never check a bag.