Celia Imrie on life on the move: “All my travels are on train or ship”

October’s Saga Magazine cover star talks about her greatest travel experiences, what she packs and the trinkets she’ll always bring home.

By Hannah Verdier | Published - 22 Sep 2026

Celia Imrie brings her trademark glamour and wit to Saga’s October cover, so we took the opportunity to ask her about one of her favourite things: travel.

As a star whose work has taken her from acting to writing – her latest travel memoir The Elegant Hustler is all about her adventures – Celia prefers to do things her own way. Not least, because for medical reasons she doesn’t travel by plane any more.

“I’ve learned that it is very good fun not to fly and all my travels are on train or ship,” she says. “You’ve got moving scenery outside your window and it gives you much more of an adventure.”

One of the trips Celia would love to take is to China. You can take in the iconic Forbidden City, the Great Wall of China and speed across the country on a high-speed bullet train with Saga’s escorted tour.

Watch the video to see the funniest things that have happened to Celia on her travels, the souvenirs she brings home and her the packing tip she learned from Helen Mirren.

With thanks to Bellerby & Co Globe Makers who supplied the globe featured in the video.

By: Hannah Verdier

Hannah Verdier writes about fitness, health, relationships, podcasts, TV and the joy of reinventing yourself at 50 and beyond. She’s a graduate of teenage music bible Smash Hits and has a side hustle as a fitness trainer who shows people who hated PE at school how to love exercise.

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