Travelling alone was the only option when I went to Asia for two years. It was what I aspired to, what I planned for and what I built up to. The first page of my book, 9 Months in Tibet, is about overcoming my fear of travelling alone. (more…)
Some of the most interesting places in the world are beset by nationalists and extremists: minority groups wanting to break away and form an independent state; high levels of anger between ethnic groups and almost everywhere you go the people hate, and blame, the government. (more…)
My friend George asked me if I thought he could get a job in Mongolia and, even though I don’t know anything about the jobs market in Mongolia I instantly replied: “of course you can.” (more…)
Learning to Adapt to foreign cultures is easier than you might assume. It’s all about attitude rather than about studying the country you’re planning to visit. (more…)
A friend recently emailed me from Macedonia and said “we are witnessing a fully-fledged mafia state being endorsed for EU membership by some of the leading democracies on the planet.”
I groaned. I couldn’t be bothered. I was on the road, visiting Istanbul at the time and I didn’t have time for this. I’m fed up with stories of corrupt Balkan countries and surely this has already been covered by the international media? (more…)