I always have a large note pad in my hand baggage.  I'm not very high-tech! This is an all-purpose thing in which I jot down notes to myself and ideas for lyrics. In fact, I wrote most of my song, Reflections on a short flight between Geneva and London. We recorded it later that day and it's on my new album.

WHAT DO YOU NEED FOR A PERFECT HOLIDAY?

I live in Switzerland, so I see a lot of mountains every day. They're very beautiful and inspiring, however, being English I need to see the sea from time to time. So a holiday for me needs to be on the Atlantic, the Pacific, or any other ocean for that matter.

WHAT'S YOUR BEST PIECE OF TRAVEL ADVICE?

Don't over pack! I always seem to have too much stuff and I travel light,  unlike a lot of other ladies I know! Then of course, there are always those bits and pieces we buy along the way, and it all adds up to being overweight at check-in time.

AND YOUR WORST EXPERIENCE ON HOLIDAY?

Last summer I went back to one of my favourite Greek islands. Usually I would go away in May or September, but due to my recording schedule I could only get away in July. Needless to say the whole island was jammed with what you might call a party crowd. They were having a great time, but it wasn't what I needed after a few weeks in a loud studio. Very bad timing on my part.

WHAT IS THE BIGGEST PACKING MISTAKE YOU'VE MADE?

The classic bottle opening during the flight. This time it was a rather fancy hair conditioner (oily of course) and it went absolutely everywhere. Now I pack all those kind of things in plastic, wrapped in even more plastic.

WHERE DO YOU WANT TO GO NEXT?

I find air travel a bit tedious, so I'd maybe a train trip to somewhere (by the sea of course!) in Europe. I would love to go back to Cornwall in the UK. It has a fantastic coastline and yummy cream teas. I promised myself a holiday in Byron Bay one day, but for now my up coming concert tour of Australia is as close as I'll get to it!

Petula Clark's most recent album Lost In You is out now.