I was a late starter to travel – not going further than France until I was 18. But a university trip to Thailand opened up a new world to me and the travel obsession took hold. Eventually I gave up my job to spend 16 months travelling around Asia and Australia in 2003. And since then I’ve been combining my love of travel with life and work at my home base in Cheltenham.
I still fit in as much travel as I can, and always have to have the next trip (or three) to look forward to. Here are the places I’ve been so far – linked to articles where I have them. I’ve visited 52 countries, but that’s only about a fifth of the world, so there’s a lot more still to see!
Europe
- Austria: Vienna, Salzburg, St Anton
- Belgium: Brussels, Bruges
- Bulgaria: Bansko
- Croatia: Dubrovnik
- Cyprus: Paphos, Nicosia
- Czech Republic: Prague
- Denmark: Copenhagen
- England: London, Cheltenham, Cotswolds, Wye Valley, Forest of Dean, Bristol, Bath, Devon, Cornwall, Dorset, Salisbury, Oxford, Cambridge, Hastings, Rye, Canterbury, Manchester, Liverpool, Chester, Lake District, York, Northumberland
- Estonia: Tallinn
- Finland: Rovaniemi
- France: Paris, Lille, Normandy, Brittany, Reims, Beaune, Avignon, Nice, Antibes, Carcassonne, Languedoc, Bordeaux, Morzine, Méribel, St Jean d’Aulps, Strasbourg, Colmar, Obernai, Annecy
- Germany: Berlin, Munich, Mainz, Rüdesheim, Erfurt, Weimar, Dusseldorf
- Greece: Santorini, Ios, Rhodes, Corfu, Olympia
- Hungary: Budapest
- Iceland: Reykjavik
- Italy: Rome, Bologna, Venice, Como, Sorrento, Capri, Pompeii, Herculaneum, Amalfi Coast, Ventimiglia, Cinque Terre, Catania
- Ireland: Dublin
- Malta: Valletta, Gozo
- Monaco
- Montenegro: Kotor
- Netherlands: Amsterdam
- Northern Ireland: Belfast
- Norway: Bergen, Flåm
- Poland: Krakow, Auschwitz
- Portugal: Porto, Lagos, Madeira
- Scotland: Edinburgh, Glasgow, St Andrews, Dumfries, Inverness, Highlands, Isle of Skye, Outer Hebrides
- Slovenia: Ljubljana, Lake Bled
- Spain: Madrid, Seville, Ronda, Barcelona, Canary Islands
- Switzerland: Geneva, Zermatt, Lucerne, Lugano, Lausanne, Interlaken
- Turkey: Istanbul, Ephesus
- Vatican City
- Wales: Cardiff, Abergavenny, Portmeirion, Porthmadog, Snowdonia, South West Wales
Middle East
Africa
- Morocco: Essaouira, Marrakech, Ait Benhaddou, Todra Gorge, Fes, Volublis, Meknes, Asilah
- Seychelles: Mahé
- South Africa: Cape Town, Kruger, Johannesburg
Asia
- Cambodia: Phnom Penh, Sihanoukville, Kampot, Siem Reap
- China: Hong Kong
- India: Mumbai, Goa, Delhi, Agra, Jaipur, Varanasi, Calcutta
- Indonesia: Bali, Gili Islands
- Japan: Tokyo
- Laos: Vientiene, Vang Vieng, Luang Prabang
- Malaysia: Kuala Lumpur, Cameron Highlands, Penang, Perhentian Islands, Tioman
- Singapore
- Thailand: Bangkok, Ko Samui, Ko Pha Ngan, Kanchanaburi, Ko Samet, Chiang Mai, Pai
- Vietnam: Ho Chi Minh City, Dalat, Nha Trang, Hoi An, Hue, Hanoi, Halong Bay
North America
- Canada: Vancouver, Victoria, Vancouver Island, Great Bear Rainforest, Rockies, Jasper, Banff, Prairies, Ontario, Toronto, Prince Edward Island, Niagara
- USA: New York, Boston, Cape Cod, San Francisco, Sonoma, Monterey, Santa Barbara, LA, Las Vegas, Monument Valley, Sedona, Bryce Canyon NP, Zion NP, Kanab, Arches NP, Canyonlands NP, Durango, Mesa Verde NP, Taos, Santa Fe, Alaska
Central America
- Costa Rica: San José, Tortuguero, Cahuita, La Fortuna, Monteverde, Manuel Antonio
Caribbean
Australasia
- Australia: Cairns, Port Douglas, Townsville, Magnetic Island, Whitsundays, Fraser Island, Brisbane, Sydney, Canberra, Melbourne, Great Ocean Road, Adelaide, Kangaroo Island, Barossa Valley, Kalgoorlie, Esperance, Margaret River, Pemberton, Perth, Fremantle, Kalbarri, Karijini, Coral Bay, Exmouth, Broome, Kununurra, Darwin, Kakadu, Alice Springs, Uluru
- New Zealand: Auckland, Waiheke Island, Waitomo, Rotorua, East Cape, Gisborne, Lake Waikaremoana, Napier, Taupo, Wellington, Abel Tasman, Franz Josef, Queenstown, Milford Sound, Lake Tekapo, Christchurch, Akaroa, Kaikoura, Marlborough, Dunedin, Catlins.