If you can’t find your answer here, I’m always happy to help with any questions about anything you’ve read on the blog. Just drop me a line on the contact page – I’ll do my best to reply within a day or two.
Where do I even start planning a trip?
Honestly? Pick the place first, then work backwards. I start with rough dates and a price alert on Skyscanner, then figure out the two or three things I genuinely can’t miss – a specific hike, a stretch of coast, a festival – and build the rest loosely around them. I don’t over-plan. Some of my best days came from booking two nights somewhere, liking it, and quietly staying a week. Lock in the flights and your first few nights, and leave the middle flexible.
I keep saying I’ll travel one day. Any advice?
Stop collecting reasons why you can’t, and put that energy into working out how you can. Almost every excuse – money, time, work, fear – has a way around it if you actually go looking for one. In my experience most people are the single biggest thing standing between themselves and the trip they keep talking about. The ‘right time’ never quite arrives, so don’t wait for it: pick a date, book the flight, and let the rest fall into place around it.
How do you afford to travel so much?
Less glamorously than it looks. I travel slowly, which is far cheaper – a month in one place costs a fraction of a month hopping between five. I cook a lot, take local buses, and put everything on a Wise card so I’m not bleeding money on exchange fees. I’ve also spent years in cheaper regions – Southeast Asia, Nepal, the Pacific – where a comfortable day costs less than a night out back home. And these days the blog itself helps fund the trips, which still feels slightly ridiculous to type.
Is it safe to travel solo?
For the most part, yes. I’ve travelled solo through 47 countries and the overwhelming majority of people I’ve met have been kind, curious and generous. The real risks are usually the boring ones: dodgy roads, dehydration, a scooter you probably shouldn’t have rented (guilty). Use common sense, split up your valuables, tell someone your rough plan, and never skip travel insurance. Honestly, solo travel is a medicine I’d prescribe to everyone – you’ll learn more about the world, and about yourself, in a week on the road than you ever will back home. Trust your gut: if a situation feels off, it usually is, and there’s no prize for ignoring that feeling.
What camera gear do you use?
I travel light, but I don’t compromise on the camera. My everyday shooter is a Sony RX100 VII, with a GoPro and a DJI Osmo for anything wet or fast-moving, and a DJI Mini drone for the big sweeping shots. The full kit – plus the packs and power banks I haul it all in – is on my Travel Resources page.
Do you accept sponsored posts or collaborations?
Sometimes – if it’s genuinely relevant to where I’ve been and the kind of travel I write about. I turn down far more than I accept, because the fastest way to wreck a blog like this is to stuff it with things I don’t actually believe in. If you think there’s a real fit, the details are on my Work With Me page.
Can you actually help me plan my trip?
That’s the whole point of the blog, really – most of what I know is already written up in the guides, for free. For the two big trips people email me about most, the Kumano Kodo and climbing Kilimanjaro, I’ve also put together proper planning kits that do the heavy lifting for you. Beyond that, send me a message and I’ll help where I can.
What’s your favourite place you’ve travelled?
Impossible question, and I get it constantly. But if you held a knife to my throat: the Caribbean coast of Colombia around Santa Marta – faded-grandeur streets, jungle running straight down to the sea, and a pace of life I found genuinely hard to leave. And India, which is really a dozen countries wearing one name; every state is completely different to the last. My motorcycle trip through the Himalayas is one I’ll never forget – bad roads, thin air, and the best views of my life. Beyond those, my favourite place is usually wherever I’ve stopped rushing and settled in for a week or two.
Do you earn money from the links you share?
Yes, and I’d rather be upfront about it. Many of the links on this site are affiliate links – if you book a hotel or buy a bit of gear through one, I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. It’s what keeps the guides free and the lights on. I only ever link to things I’ve actually used and would recommend to a mate, because the quickest way to lose your trust is to send you somewhere rubbish for the sake of a few dollars.