The Psychology of Travel

Liverpool’s Gobi Desert — Part 2

Liverpool’s Gobi Desert — Part 2

Imagine you’re a microscopic insect who has crawled through the hole in the middle of an old vinyl record. You look around, get your bearings but all you can see is a vast open space that stretches out to the …
Liverpool’s Gobi Desert — Part 1

Liverpool’s Gobi Desert — Part 1

Camping is a paradox. On the one hand it’s really simple — you sleep outside — but on the other hand it’s really complicated: before you set off you must check you have a suitable tent (is it waterproof? do...
In Defence of Foreign Aid

In Defence of Foreign Aid

A newspaper is like a puzzle. Journalists write material that fits the exact requirement of particular pages – news, sports, health, arts, business. Like every puzzle, the structure of a newspaper is clear and logical when you understand it.  Newspapers...
On the Road with Madame Bovary

On the Road with Madame Bovary

When I was a kid I used to mock the names of the great French authors Gustave Flaubert and Honoré de Balzac. I used to pronounce Flaubert as “Flow Bert” and Balzac as “Balls Ache.” I thought this was really …
Letter to Asylum Seekers

Letter to Asylum Seekers

Dear Asylum seekers, First of all, welcome to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland – the cumbersome name of my home country, a name that not many of my fellow Brits actually know. We tend to call …