Eugene Levy on his favourite hotel, experiencing Day of the Dead, and meeting Prince William

“Where in the world do I feel happiest?” Eugene Levy muses, gazing thoughtfully around the room. “Well, at home, I guess. When you’re away, you’re travelling and trying to have fun, but in a way it feels like hard work. It is very natural to be happiest in a place that you’re most comfortable, which is home.”

For anyone unfamiliar with Eugene’s TV series – one which involves him travelling all over the world – this might seem a surprising answer. But for those who have watched the show, this makes total sense. Aptly named The Reluctant Traveller, the series takes Eugene to the most exciting corners of the world, from the darkest depths of Costa Rican jungle to the bustling crossings of Tokyo, forcing Eugene to come face to face with wildlife, experiences and adventures that he, by his own admission, would be more comfortable watching from afar.

“But, I’m 75 and maybe it’s time to expand my horizons,” he says on the show. “Just surviving would be great.”

And survive he does. In the first season, he goes swimming in a frozen lake in Finland, tries sumo wrestling in Japan and comes face to face with safari animals in South Africa. In season two, he learns the art of beekeeping in Provence, tries kayaking in Sweden and goes jousting in Italy. Season 3 takes him even further out of his comfort zone – he hits the streets of Jodhpur, joins the Day of the Dead parades in Oaxaca and comes across mukbang in South Korea.

After experiencing some of the world’s most adrenaline-fuelled adventures, the question is – has filming this series changed the way that Eugene feels about travel? “I guess I could say I’m inching my way towards being a more seasoned traveller,” he considers. “I think the experience of exploring and discovering has kind of changed. But the idea of getting there is still kind of the same – I don’t like the airport experience. I don’t like the security. Then you get over there and now you’ve got to deal with jet lag. There are certain things that probably won’t get any more pleasant, but the idea of experiencing and discovering has changed a little bit.”