Why subscribe?
A journalist, author and playwright, my travel writing has taken me to more than 90 countries and for more than two years I have been travelling full time.
I’ve written a number of books and more than 2500 articles for many publications including The New York Times, The Times, Guardian, Telegraph, Independent and many more, on subjects including property, health, the arts, careers, education and technology, as well as travel.
I started this Substack because many of the things I want to write about are so difficult to place in the mainstream travel press. When I started in journalism, there’d be 2000-word travel articles on Mali or Mongolia, even though few readers would go there: nowadays many travel pages instead want short articles and ‘top 10s’ on the best Spanish villas or latest holiday deals or similar.
Anything too negative or controversial could scare away advertisers and so doesn’t get commissioned, and often personality and individual style can be edited out of a piece so it blends in with everything else.
Again and again I’ve visited a destination and taken copious notes about it that I knew the mainstream travel press wouldn’t dream of publishing. I plan to share much of that here, along with more conventional articles, and also tips I’ve learnt along the way about travel, whether to save money, reduce hassle or make a trip more rewarding.
This Substack will be published at least five times a month, usually more, barring extenuating circumstances. If you sign up as a free subscriber, you’ll have access to some posts, as well as a sample of paid articles.
Paid subscribers get access to all articles, first access to everything I write, and are also able to comment on the articles, to which I will usually respond to and will always read. If you subscribe, not only will you keep me writing, but you will allow me to provide free pieces to those who cannot pay. A paid subscription equates to about three sips of cheap wine in a London pub per week or one or two coffees in a cafe a month. Currently a large latte or cappuccino at Costa, for example, is around £4.30.
I think Substack is an exciting platform because of the freedom it gives writers – and that is only possible because of you, the subscribers.
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