I’m still amazed that I am able to do this.   A few years ago it was something I envied in others, and now I’ve been to and written about Adelaide, the Yarra Valley, the island of Mauritius, the Grand Canyon, Las Vegas, London, Siem Reap, Phnom Penh, Kep, Sihanoukville, the island of Song Saa, plus an overpriced Australian health retreat – all either free of charge, or on media rates.

Each writing opportunity is just that, it is an opportunity.  Not just for me to get on a plane and have a nice jolly, but its the chance to tell people the important stuff about a place; how to travel there ethically, how to make a difference to the local people, how to respect their cultures, what might be useful to know before you go etc.  There’s nothing worse than reading a bland article where the writer either hasn’t been there and has simply googled everything, or worse, didn’t bother to think when they were there!

I’ve two pitches I’m writing next, one on Kota Kinabalu, (I want to meet my orangutan relatives)

the other about honeymooning at an eco-safari lodge in East Africa, as I haven’t been to Kenya since I was a child. Aged 9 I was only interested in why the milk tasted funny and refused to eat anything I hadn’t had back in my English village!   I’ll be easier to travel with now.  🙂