I was recently given this list of questions to answer for Wanderlust magazine; a rare opportunity to bang on guiltlessly about my opinions and experiences.
Mountain/desert/jungle/ocean — which are you?
Some of my favourite experiences have been in the desert. Life has to slow down in the heat and dryness, and that sense of calm is a welcome opposite from the busy lives we lead at home. I love the mountains, too – they breed a unique kind of culture and help remind us of our insignificance.
First travel experience?
I took a year out after school and went to the mountains of eastern Canada to train as a ski-instructor for three months. It wasn’t the most adventurous of trips, but at the age of eighteen it certainly felt like it!
Favourite journey?
There are so many to choose from, but I keep coming back to my ride through northern Sudan. It was the year before the asphalt road was built through the region, so it was very tough going. But the remoteness ensured that the hospitality I received along the way was matchless, and the satisfaction of pulling it off was all the greater for it being such a challenge.
Top 5 places worldwide?
It’s possible to have a cracking adventure almost anywhere in the world. But for landscapes, the ‘Lost Coast’ of Northern California takes a bit of beating. City-wise, I seem to keep finding myself back in Istanbul, and I absolutely loved Portland, Oregon. The most extravagant hospitality I’ve ever received was in Syria and Iran.
Special place to stay?
It’s difficult to recommend accommodation, as I usually sleep in my tent. So instead I’ll cite my personal favourite wild-camping spot, which was on the banks of a semi-frozen Lake Khovsgol in northern Mongolia.
3 items you always pack?
A 1‑man tent, a Buff, and a diary.
Passport stamp you’re proudest of?
I really like the colourful design of my Yemeni visa sticker.
Passport stamp most like to have?
Saudi Arabia. The Middle East is my favourite region of the world, but Saudi restrictions meant I had to take three boats and travel through four African countries to get between Jordan and Yemen.
Guilty travel pleasure?
Pigging out on street food. As I travel mainly by bicycle, my body becomes a calorie-burning machine, so I can stuff myself, safe in the knowledge that it’s fuel for my legs.
Window or aisle?
Window in daytime (so I can see). Aisle at nighttime (so I can sleep).
Who is your ideal travelling companion?
I often travel alone. But my ideal companion would be a native of the country from whom I could learn the language and scratch a little deeper as a result.
Best meal on the road? Worst?
I remember one particular Iskender kebab in Istanbul — spicy slabs of grilled meat, creamy yoghurt, rich tomato sauce, all on a bed of bread croutons, and then slathered with molten butter. The worst meal was something I was given in the Nubian desert. Think of the consistency of raw egg-white, but warm and salty. Then envisage lots of unidentifiable green bits floating in it. Then imagine eating it with your hands.
Most surprising place? Most disappointing?
I was blown away by Taiwan’s warmth and modernity – I was told there that tourists came from the PRC to see ‘China as it could have been’. There honestly hasn’t been anywhere that disappointed me. I don’t do any research on the places I go, and I’d like to think that without preconceptions I’m better able to accept a place for what it is, rather than dwelling on what I expected to find but didn’t.
Where do you NOT want to go?
I really can’t think of anywhere that I would actively choose not to go to. Having said that, it’d take quite a bit of convincing to get me back to the French Riviera in the summer.
Who/what inspired you to travel? Any travel heroes?
I was inspired to travel by the nagging feeling that school and university hadn’t really equipped me for life yet. My good mate Andy was the one who brought up the idea of cycling. I can’t say I have any travel heroes, but I’m constantly inspired by the current generation of self-made young explorers who are pushing the definition of adventure.
What do you listen to on the road? Any song take you back to a particular time or place?
I used to listen to a lot of drum & bass. (It’s awful. You’d hate it.) As time has gone by, the need to listen to music has diminished. Now, when I’m on the road, I prefer to keep my senses alert.
What do you read?
I almost never read ‘travel writing’. I read mostly non-fiction, particularly popular science. I’m not sure why. Perhaps it’s because travel is a way of learning about life on Earth, and reading astrophysics and cosmology is a way of learning about everything else.
Is there a person you met while travelling who reaffirmed your faith in humanity? Anyone who made you lose it?
One of my earliest experiences was being invited to stay with a Slovakian guy who left a key in the door and a welcome-note on the table 365 days a year, whether or not he was actually there. You can go and stay a week or two at his place right now, if you want, as long as you water the garden. He’s never had anything stolen. Two weeks later, in Romania, I was invited in for the night and the following morning asked for one hundred euros to cover my stay. Luckily the former type of experiences have outweighed the latter a hundredfold.
What’s the most impressive / useful phrase you know in a foreign language?
The most useful word in any language is ‘thank you’, cliched as it might be. For impressive phrases, ‘yes ko spitak ziov asbetn em’ is Armenian, roughly translates as ‘I am your knight in shining armour’, and works really well.
What is your worst habit as a traveller?
Staying days (or weeks, or months) longer in a city than I planned.
Snowbound in a tent in Antarctica, how would you entertain your companions?
Very little beats a good storytelling session. Stories aren’t just entertainment, they’re also how we share and find security in the common elements of being human.
When and where in your travels have you been happiest?
I am at my happiest with a full stomach and a clear blue sky and a tailwind and a new border-crossing at my back.
What smell most says ‘travel’ to you?
Freshly-baked bread. Or roadkill.
Given a choice, which era would you travel in?
In a romantic frame of mind I’d probably say the fourteenth century, when legendary Islamic travellers like Ibn Battutah were wandering the globe. But in any other mood I would say today, rather than pining for a golden age that probably never was.
If you could combine three cities to make your perfect metropolis, what would they be?
I go to cities mostly for the people, and so I’d quite like to combine the fiery pride of Tehran with the outlook and optimism of San Francisco, but in the geographical surrounds of Vancouver. That would be an interesting mix, and nature would never be far away.
Your turn! Copy-paste these questions into the comments and answer them:
- Mountain/desert/jungle/ocean — which are you?
- First travel experience?
- Favourite journey?
- Top 5 places worldwide?
- Special place to stay?
- 3 items you always pack?
- Passport stamp you’re proudest of?
- Passport stamp most like to have?
- Guilty travel pleasure?
- Window or aisle?
- Who is your ideal travelling companion?
- Where do you NOT want to go?
- Who/what inspired you to travel? Any travel heroes?
- What do you listen to on the road? Any song take you back to a particular time or place?
- What do you read ?
- Is there a person you met while travelling who reaffirmed your faith in humanity? Anyone who made you lose it?
- What’s the most impressive / useful phrase you know in a foreign language?
- What is your worst habit as a traveller?
- Snowbound in a tent in Antarctica, how would you entertain your companions?
- When and where in your travels have you been happiest?
- What smell most says ‘travel’ to you?
- Given a choice, which era would you travel in?
- If you could combine three cities to make your perfect metropolis, what would they be?
Something to add?