I am a freelance travel writer and photographer, contributing to newspapers, magazines and websites. My speciality is Thailand, which I have visited every year for the last 30 years. Nearer home, my travels take me between N. Ireland, mainland Europe and the UK, favourite destinations being Spain, Italy, Sweden and Belfast.

I occasionally takes a break from travel to write about cultural events in London, the trad jazz scene in places like New Orleans and Chicago, wines and spirits, and the cuisine of East Asia.

History and literature is my first love and I have published articles about the poets Wilfrid Owen, Seigfried Sassoon and Edward Thomas as well as historical pieces for the Times Literary Supplement and BBC History.

As well as writing for newspapers and magazines, I have contributed to books on travel and related subjects. Recently there was Body & Soul Escapes, a guide to world spas edited by Caroline Sylge (Footprint) to which I contributed pieces on spas in France, Dubai, Thailand and the UK, Where to Go When (Dorling Kindersley) and 1001 Escapes to Make Before you Die (Quintessence) is due out mid-summer 2009.
I am increasingly writing for the internet, and as Feature Writer on East Asian countries at http://easiatravel.suite101.com I contribute a weekly article and the occasional more personal blog every week, plus occasional articles on European and UK destinations. More recently I have signed up to write with new travel website simonseeks.com. I have also written and updated travel guides for the net, Time Out's Fuerteventura, North Star's Belfast and North Star's Vietnam.

I have been writing for nearly 30 years, originally history and general features for trade and consumer magazines, but since 1992 I have been a full-time travel writer covering Thailand (especially the islands and the capital, Bangkok), Vietnam, Cambodia, Singapore, Spain, Sicily, Italy, Sweden and Northern Ireland.

My home area is south-east England, which means I have easy access to areas like the Isle of Wight, the South of England and London. I am well placed for Cowes Week Regatta, the walking and cycling festivals and the many Jazz and Pop Music Festivals that take place on the Isle of Wight, naval events in nearby Portsmouth, and cruising from Southampton. N. Ireland and the Channel Islands are easily accessible too.

A deep and abiding interest in war history (I ran classes for the WEA on War Prose and Poetry - World War I to Vietnam) means that visiting the war graves and the battlefields of 20th century wars in France, Galliipolli, Thailand and Singapore, is high on my list when travelling.

My work regularly appears in UK newspapers and magazines, the Inflight magazines of the major airlines, and property magazines in Thailand. I have a major input into The Island Visitor, the yearly guide for visitors to the Isle of Wight.

I have a Post Grad. Degree in History from Sussex University, won the Lady Violet Astor Award for best published journalism a few years ago and have been runner-up in various travel writing competitons over the years.

I also contribute to www.simonseeks.com.

Memberships:
British Guild of Travel Writers
Writers and Photographers unLimited
Travelwriters.co.uk

Geographical Areas Covered
Thailand I cover the country but tend to favour Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Phuket, Hua Hin, Krabi, and the National and Marine Parks. I have access to top chefs and hotel managers, know the culture of the country and its people, and I am well versed in the religious and political sc: Vietnam: Cambodia: Malaysia (especially Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Pangkor and Malacca: Middle East (Dubai, Jordan): Belgium (Brugge, Brussels, Ghent): France (Rouen, Honfleur, Paris, St. Malo, LeHavre): Spain (Andalucia and the cities of Malaga, Granada, Cordoba, Cadiz, Seville, Marbella, Ronda, the White Villages, Majorca, Madrid and Barcelona): Italy (Verona, Venice, Florence, Siena, Rome, Sorrento and Pisa) and of course, Sicily: Switzerland (especially Zurich and Lucerne): Turkey: (Istanbul, Antalya and Alanya): Cyprus: Sweden (Gothenburg and Stockholm and travelling on the Gota Canal that links the two).

S.E. England, especially the south coast and the Isle of Wight, the New Forest area including Bournmouth, Portsmouth, Brighton, Southampton, London, Guildford, Dover, Deal, and Broadstairs. Ireland - Good knowledge of N. Ireland but especially Belfast, Armagh, Londonderry, Newry and the Mountains of Mourne area, Dublin, Cork, and Wexford in southern Ireland. Wales - Swansea, The Mumbles and The Gower Peninsula.