Four years ago I published the first post on this blog. It was about how it all started, the travelling thing. It goes back almost fifteen years when I studied in Milan. Little I knew but judging from my current perspective this was the first big breakthrough of my adult life. Suddenly the map of my world grew and showed many blank places that I wanted to explore. I was lucky to work as an academic for almost ten years. I feel privileged that my job brought me to the remote location of this globe. I travelled the world and participated in a variety of scientific conferences. The more I saw, the more I wanted to see. At the same time, my passion for the travel literature grew and I started a transformation of my home office into a library. I discovered the best travel book ever written. It is The Way of the World by Nicolas Bouvier. It still is my favourite book, even though I travelled around the world, followed his footsteps in Ireland and Japan, and turned into a philosopher of travelling. Eventually, the urge to explore the world became overwhelming. I used the end of my research contract at the University of Nottingham as an excuse for focusing on travelling per se. The travelling became my job, hobby and the way of life. I never turned it into an obsession or a mindless collection of places, national parks or countries. My travels were always slow, focused on meetings with people, reading books, or just hanging around, visiting the same place more than once, often in different seasons. Off the beaten track I went. The big question of why and how people travel always intrigued me. Naturally, my research brought me to a point when I wanted sharing my experiences with others. Thus, here is the big news: the first publication of my book called “Podróżując” (On Travelling) will be soon available in Polish. I wrote it to share my philosophy of travelling. By telling a story of the journey around the world, I explained many aspects related to anthropology, cultural studies, linguistics and social relations. Above all, thanks to my Polish language teacher, I spent countless hours on raising my linguistic competencies to make sure this book is simply beautiful, clear and easy to understand. For a while, I considered publishing it with an ordinary publishing house but then I realised that this book is not only about the thoughts, not only about the content. I thought that it should be published by myself to influence the whole process, decide on every small detail so it became a beautiful object. Instead of colourful pictures, you’ll find there a series of sketches by my artist friend Natalia. The cover designed by Jarek tells you a story about the journey that turns into the way of life. I devoted to this book almost two years of my life to make sure it meets the highest standards. In order to do so, I did not submit it to any random publishing house. The time has come. Ladies and gentlemen, here is the second big news: I established a publishing house. Yeah! Hurray! Together with my beloved husband, we created an enterprise called Null&Full. The company we have owned for a couple of years promotes conscious travelling. Under one umbrella it offers guided tours in Ferrara, runs this blog and finally, publishes travel literature. Our aim is to raise awareness and promote discussion about the modern travels. In our recently established publishing house, we shall focus all our efforts on finding the best pieces ever written, pick up sketches and illustrations, work on a layout, choose the right colours, and publish them as works of art. As for now, we publish our books in Polish but we shall do our best to publish the book “On Travelling” in English too. We will keep you informed regarding the process of translation and about the date of publication. We strongly believe this is another wonderful journey that we shall share with you. Keep your fingers crossed!    

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This is not a politically engaged post. I will not attempt to take sides regarding this conflict nor will I discuss the possible faults of those  involved. I will share, however, something that is important to me. This is my review of the recently published book by Dervla Murphy “Between River and Sea“,  focused on the Middle East conflict. It’s just a book It’s just a book – I thought when I took it in my hand. There is no way it concerns me. I felt I was far removed from the Middle East and I have never visited any of the countries involved in the conflict nor have I had an intention to, but I started reading and quite quickly realized how wrong I was. Dervla Murphy is a distinguished travel writer, an icon of independent traveling. Her life is an endless inspiration to all cyclists and serious travelers. In her late seventies and early eighties, she ventured into a difficult territory – a journey to Palestine and Israel.  “Between River and Sea” is her reflection on the conflict and although she has always been politically active in a variety of situations none of her previous books is as sharp, clear and on the edge of a political advocacy. Objectivity This post is not politically engaged, but Dervla’s book is. She states right from the very beginning that her heart is with the suffering Palestinians and against Zionism of any form. It might seem controversial to state your personal political views on the issue on the first page of the book, but I think this was wise – for a variety of reasons. Sooner or later the reader realizes the author’s views and if not revealed before, this can result in a loss of trust.  A declaration of belief frames the story and leaves no space for the unsaid.  People often state that they appreciate objectivity, but I sometimes find it hypocritical. Rarely, if at all, do authors and journalists make the effort to look at an issue from a variety of perspectives and I see no reason why people should avoid stating their opinions clearly. So don’t look for objectivity in Dervla’s book because you will not find it. Reality This book was hard to read and very hard to finish. It was heavy, deeply disturbing, sometimes cruel and very literal in the descriptions of harassment.  Page after page the author shows the misery of people who live in this region and what I found most difficult to deal with was their lack of hope for the future. The reality of war is horrible and we all know this, the population suffers, decade after decade. The hate grows and is passed from one generation to another.  Just like every other war the conflict between Israel and Palestine turns ordinary people into orphans, widows, widowers, and single parents. I don’t believe there is one person in the Middle East who is not affected by the loss of a relative or a friend. Living in fear destroys a healthy personality and turns children into a generation with no hope. What is this have to do with me? If you read this book it will hit you. Even if you thought you were well removed from this conflict, after reading this book you will find yourself in the middle of it. It’s because the cruelty of war leaves no one indifferent. If  you read about cruelty towards children you will become angry. If  you know about injustice, it can not be ignored. And, most of all, because the population of both Palestine and Israel are deeply marked with mutual mistrust, they need somebody from the outside to help them understand the situation. And to see hope where there is none. Although I consider this book very important I don’t think it is helpful. Don’t get me wrong. There was no way Dervla Murphy could have written this book differently. She did what she’s always done: meeting people, staying with them for a couple of days, asking difficult questions, and sympathizing with those affected most by poverty. When you are reading this book you get a feeling that the author becomes one of them, and while this is natural it results in seeing this life through their eyes only which can narrow the reader’s perspective.  It is beneficial for the book, but it does not get us any closer to the peace.  This book is excellent in showing the misery and the suffering of all residents of this land of fire. It should leave you uneasy.  

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We all love these stories, don’t we? A long and difficult journey with a high-minded target. More and more people volunteer abroad as it seems to combine two activities we are fond of: traveling and helping to the poor. Our collective imagination has been taken by a romantic impulse of helping those in need. The contemporary charities are not as strictly connected with religious beliefs and Christian ethos of mercifulness as in the past, thus, undoubtedly, one should ask an important question of how he or she helps? I consider this new trend very interesting. Therefore, I thought I will contribute the global discussion on volunteering by sharing few thoughts on the theme. Tibetan Foothold You might be surprised, but I will not share any personal stories here. Although I believe that helping people wherever you are is one of the most difficult activities, and yet, one of the most important ones, I will share here a review of an old book. Dervla Murphy, one of my favorite authors, published a book titled: “Tibetan Foothold”, which I believe is an important voice in the debate whether we should volunteer abroad or not. The book is a result of a four months stay in Tibet, in the late 60s, when Dervla cycled crossed a continent and arrived in India by bike. Her epic journey was described in “Full Tilt” book, one of the most entertaining and interesting diarys ever written. So, here we are, with young Dervla who had completed her first epic journey. She was proud with a sense of accomplishment, that her plan had been realized. She had a personal introduction to the staff of an orphanage in Tibet who she joined without a second thought. The Important ‘how’ What is striking from the first page of this book is Dervla’s inexperience in how the western world system of help works in the most disadvantaged areas of the world. And as a result of this, the reader is rewarded by as authentic description of this system. Right there, in, you may say, extreme circumstances, Dervla is faced with a dilemma that all volunteers are faced with: HOW do I help. What helping means to me? What is the best use of my time and skills? Quite quickly, she discovers the  numerous failures of the system, burdensome bureaucracy and lack of proper communication between funding bodies and volunteers on site. It gets only worse: not enough resources has terrifying consequences resulting in the death of some orphans. Dreadful living conditions and extreme poverty was not something Dervla was prepared for, facing this hardship she could have easily decided there was  little she could do and she could have blamed the system for not helping to the fullest. Instead, she asked herself HOW did  she want to help by making the best use of who she was and what her skills were. This is a precious testimony that whoever you are and wherever you are, you can make a difference. Make a difference In volunteering, we all want to experience the rewarding feeling that our actions resulted in something good for others. Dervla, after realizing that she couldn’t  help everybody, focused on one issue: the hearing problems of the orphans. On every day of her stay with the kids, she made an effort to screen their hearing condition and obtain medicine for those in need. It was not numbers nor statistics that she was after, but through a patient, methodical and regular effort she made a real difference. Before she left the orphanage, the percentage of children with hearing problems dropped significantly, which she noted in her book with extreme satisfaction. I’m not going to spoil your own reading here. The book is full of fascinating stories, incredible adventures, terrifying events, conflicts, triumphs, and personal struggles. It reveals a few dirty little secrets of international helping in the late 60s, and many important issues we should consider before we either support financially or engage personally in volunteering abroad. But the leading message of this book is an optimistic conclusion that irrespectively of the institutional problems of all organizations, it is up to you HOW do you help. Charity begins at home It is crucial to think about it before you go. I strongly believe in local charities. It is my personal view that you can understand the needs of others best, when you live close to them, speak the language, know their culture. You can use your judgment to assess the efficiency of the support provided. If you decided to travel far and volunteer then you need to rely on somebody else’s judgment. And then it all comes down to trust. Don’t get me wrong. This article should not discourage you to devote your time and effort to others. Nor it should discourage to travel and volunteer abroad. On the contrary, I think it can be a very positive experience. All I’m trying to say here is you should think it through, engage in local charity first and make a thorough research on the organization that you want to engage with. At the end of the day, all that matters is your individual attitude, strong will and clarity of intention.    

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I’ve been reading travel books by Dervla Murphy for quite some time now. I started in  chronological order with “Full Tilt” followed by “Tibetan Foothold“. The books  were a sort of novelty to me. I have never read anything so sincere, straightforward and honest. I was fascinated by her style and stories so when I received Dervla Murphy’s biography from Eland I started reading it right away. Here is why you should read “Wheels within Wheels“, too. Ireland It always amazes me how well people remember their childhood and how deep the events and emotions are hidden in our memory. “Wheels within Wheels” is a memorable journey in time.  The author invites us to follow her footsteps in her early years, to explore the history of her family and to discover the nature of relationships with close relatives. It all started in Ireland, before the 2nd world war, when three of them – mother, father and little Dervla – move into a small village Lismore. A remote location in rural Ireland with a beautiful landscape in the background which shaped Dervla’s personality and habits more than anything else. Except, perhaps, her mother’s illness and both parents’ love for books. Personal There is also a particular detail in Dervla Murphy’s biography that I find very powerful. My Mum, just like her mum, is disabled and thus my childhood has been influenced by caring for her. Although my Mum has been more independent than Dervla’s mother  it still influenced me and who I am today. Caring for somebody else, thinking about somebody else’s need and just getting the focus away from myself was my daily routine. I had a beautiful childhood irrespectively of my Mum’s condition, but I see many similarities between myself and the author. Bicycle I found it particularly interesting that an Irish girl, with no formal education, possessed such a curiosity for  other places, cultures, and languages, such a vivid imagination and, at the same time, her actions were characterized to a great extent by common sense. Her childhood in rural Ireland honed her material needs to a minimum which allowed her to travel the world in a very particular way. I hadn’t realized earlier that she stayed with her mother until the very end and only after her death Dervla’s plans to travel the world were realized. Enough to say she was thirty by then. When she finally began her first journey into the unknown, she felt the need to know the world quite urgently. And it was possible because one day her parents gave her a bike. It was love at first sight and soon, even though restrained by the home duties, she ventured out on bike trips. Every time she went further and further until she realized that there was no reason why she shouldn’t cycle wherever she wanted – even to India. Books It is fascinating to learn about her childhood and the way she was learnt about the world through books. Her father was librarian and grandfather a scholar so although she didn’t finish  school due to the hardship within her family, these two men influenced her greatly. Reading every book she found was her way of keeping her mind open, exercising her imagination, and in some years marked by extreme difficulties reading books also kept her sane. Choices This biography is a wonderful testimony that family matters and it marks us to an extent we would never imagine. It shows the author’s ups and downs, fulfilling friendships and school failure, ethical and religious dilemmas, and the everyday struggle to keep her spirits high. Furthermore, the book helps to understand that for Dervla the journey was not only just travelling around, discovering new countries or even talking to the people she met and sharing their reality for a while. It was a deep human activity she undertook out of a need to realize her dream and to fully develop what she believed she was called for. Typically for Dervla her difficult road towards independence in her own words was summarized as follows: “The school was hard, but the knowledge was priceless.” No regrets, no bitterness, no fuss. In her life, everything that should have happened, did happen. And it all made her an amazing person she is today. Wisdom Dervla Murphy traveled the world on her bike. You might think that through her journeys she became knowledgeable and smart but I think, who she is today, is derived from her difficult childhood and obstacles she was confronted with. She was smart before she ever started traveling. And her way of travelling is a result of who she is. Not the other way around. There is one certain thing about Dervla Murphy and her biography: they are characterized by sincerity and integrity, so precious and so rare nowadays. Apparently, formal education is not everything. My biggest regret after reading this book is the missing part of the second half of Dervla’s life. I would be very interested in what happened after her success, how did this change her life, whether she likes meeting her audience and how the international recognition influenced her traveling. Dear Dervla, if you are reading it part two, please!  

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So, I’ve just got back home after almost 100 days of travel around the world. Needless to say, this was a fantastic time! Travel around the world has a particular flavour: not only is a lifetime dream for many but also provides a particular set of experiences collected in a short piece of time. My travel was exotic, tiresome, full of wonders, tough, interesting, fascinating and rich in everything else imaginable. I hope it is your dream too. And if it is, read this guide before you go. And do everything you can to make this journey meaningful. Too many things I know that this one sounds so trivial. I know that everybody repeats it over and over again. But it is because it is true! Even if I was aware of that and I limited myself to one suitcase shared with my companion it was still too much. And it was not about the clothes that I always take the same but about books. I couldn’t limit myself to one and so I took few and it was few too much. So what happened was that from New Zealand I sent few things home, including a large part of my library. It was also related to the new regulation made by some airlines which are rigid rules on luggage. I don’t mind the weight limit, but I thought we can easily spread one suitcase of 25kg to 2 people and for the whole trip having our luggage checked-in was a nightmare. MY ADVICE: most of the airlines do not allow sharing the luggage and are very strict regarding the actual weight. Not to mention 3 scales of the same airline at the same airport show different weight. So my advice is this: leave home with a suitcase limited to 20kg because you’ll get few extra things along the way. And when you do, you’ll struggle at every luggage check-in procedure. Meetings Yes, meeting people is important but don’t push yourself too much. Even though this is one of the reasons why we all travel in the first place, try to think about yourself for a while. Each meeting of a new person means you’ll need to tell your story. And, however, fascinating it might be, when you say it ten times a week is not that fascinating anymore. It is a sort of trade: you tell your story to listen to a story of somebody else, but even this has limits! MY ADVICE: I tried to stick to at most 2-3 meetings a week and it was more than enough! For somebody else it might be more for the others it might be less, but it’s important to keep a good balance between being only with yourself and meeting others. Everlasting struggle What I found challenging during this travel was a constant need to discipline my mind in order to stay focused on the present. Having next three months scheduled I could easily get distracted and rather watching and enjoying with what I see in present I could think about places and time to come. I think this is really difficult but telling myself few times that present is all I have, helped. I consider this the most important element of a proper mindset. MY ADVICE: Always discipline your mind focusing on the present. Don’t plan too much and enjoy every day. Time management It was hard to follow time zone changes. Even if I stayed for weeks in one place, it brought many misunderstandings in skype scheduling. I had few important meetings over skype and G+ hangout and being there at the right time for all participants was always difficult. MY ADVICE: I don’t have any other advice to give despite planning in through Google Calendar and sending direct invitations with proper time zone. Unhealthy conditions of work I have always used to make fun of Work Safety procedures, but I think this journey taught me a good lesson: after a couple of weeks of typing when sitting on my bed my wrists started hurting. And it looks like this trend continued when I proceed with my journey. Unfortunately, hotels and AirBnB rooms rarely have something that looks like a desk, not to mention comfort place to work. MY ADVICE: The moment you notice returning pain is the right moment to act. I was using bandage to stiff my wrist and when pain was really sharp I was using a painkilling cream and 2 days offline (which is the best remedy, really). Also, it made me more conscious of choosing places to work. Give me a break! Traveling is so demanding that you sometimes just need a break. It’s not possible to go home every now and then just because you don’t feel well in a place, so here is how to deal with it. Stick to the places you are familiar with. When I was in Hong Kong – a place that drained me out in just a few days – I had to visit Starbucks. It was just too much for me. The language that I didn’t understand, food that I didn’t like, noise, dirt and rude people everywhere – it all made me miserable. So just to keep my balance I stayed in Starbucks for two hours or so just not to watch Chinese characters everywhere, not to be pushed all the time and just not thinking about how crazy this place is. MY ADVICE: Don’t be ashamed to visit chain restaurants and places you are familiar with. Just because you sit in McDonalds for an hour will not turn you into a lousy traveler. Sometimes it is the cheapest remedy and is a sign of being resourcefulness rather than anything else. Always return home The journey with no end is a big temptation. If you travel long enough it turns into a lifestyle. A dreadful one, to be honest. It cuts your relationships at home, it forces you to eat unhealthy food (not always but often it...

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I’m very excited to share the big news with you: today my pet project ‘Travel with Books‘ has been launched! I have been working on it since last August, crafting carefully the idea, getting the draft version of my proposal, inviting people to cooperate on it and finally creating a website. It was a great learning process and also new way of spreading news about great travel literature. I found working with Eland Publishing very rewarding. It’s like sharing the passion always make things easy and smooth. So, what this is all about? The idea is pretty simple: I invited over 20 bloggers, writers and journalists to share their favorite quote related to traveling. The site Travel with Books will reveal one quote and one photo a day for 30 consecutive days in March 2015. Each contributor chosen a favourite travel quote and these quotes will give readers the opportunity to discover travel literature that they might not be familiar with, or maybe rediscover old favourites. Each contributor will also share their thoughts on the particular quote and its importance to them. The quotes with comments I received were fantastic! I felt overwhelmed not only with enthusiasm of the contributors but with their amazing sensibility on literature. It looks like no matter how and when they travel, all travelers find inspiration in books. I hope that you will love this project, will follow and like the site and will excuse my focusing on it for a while. Lastly, I hope that these wonderful quotes shared will encourage you to read more!  

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My journey around the world is over. I returned home safe and sound. It will take me a while to bring you all amazing adventures I had, to share pictures and videos so let me just share some highlights of this journey. Slow travel Telling the truth, this was the best part of the whole plan: do it slowly, so as a result I stayed more than 2 weeks in the same place, with the exception of Hong Kong. It worked really well. Two weeks is enough to get friendly with people around, get your bearings, enjoy your stay, figure out how public transportation works, and, most of all, experience how people live in remote locations visited. I don’t know whether this would work for everybody, but I would argue that staying in the same place for longer than few days is beneficial to a general well-being and increases the quality of the journey. Small amusement Each journey, even if the most cost-effective, call for the small amusement along the way. It is really useless to travel around the world and limit yourself just to sleep and eat cheaply. Limiting yourself to the basic needs make the whole adventure stressful, money focused and, after a while, monotonous. Although my trip wasn’t neither budget nor luxury I balanced all my needs on an everyday basis. And from time to time I spoil myself with an evening at the cinema, sweets at Moomins’ Cafe and other things that I really like. It not only made my journey pleasant but also allowed me to experience the way people do things in places I visited. I often tried to capture their way of spending free time and relaxing and it worked pretty well. Meeting people This was one of the most rewarding experiences along the way: meeting people and listening to their stories. I am deeply satisfied with all new friends I met. It is always helpful to know the language so the most difficult and challenging country was Japan, as I don’t speak Japanese. But even there I met two Italian girls and one Japanese guy who were willing to share their stories with me. Keeping my habits This was a real struggle: keeping my jogging routine. I took running shoes and gear with me which was a sacrifice itself because it occupied literally half of my luggage. I tried to stick to jogging at least 3 times a week, but I must admit I didn’t make it. I run a lot on Rarotonga and Auckland, plus I cycled a lot but I was not able to run as much as I wanted nor needed. It was way too cold in Japan and way to hilly in New Zealand, but I was able to run little less than 100 km in these 3 months. After my return home I’m running every second day and feel much better. Sustainable travel I think that many of my colleagues from the blogging community pursue a lifestyle that is unsustainable in a long term perspective. After a year or two of traveling many of them are struggling with obesity, insomnia, being tired or even exhausted all the time. There are many reasons for that and traveling as an activity is really demanding. If someone is telling you it is effortless he or she is lying, because it is not. On the contrary: far from it! And although I think my way of traveling is still missing a bit of care for myself I consider it way above the average bloggers’ journey. Traveling is surprisingly similar to everyday life and if you don’t make an effort to do jogging or eat healthy food the travel will not make it for you. Best things Many people ask me: What was the best about this journey? And is it hard to reply in one phrase, but if you asked me what I consider the best element of this journey I would say: return home. Seriously! The moment I entered my house was the moment of true happiness. Does this make me a lousy traveler? On the contrary, I think. I’m having now time for digesting all information, emotions, impressions, tastes, smells, meetings, smiles, well literally everything I experienced. I need to stay with this for a while to fully appreciate it and enjoy all of my adventures. So although I’ll travel a bit next few months I’m going to focus on telling the stories that I brought with me. OK, true, second best thing about this journey was a stay in Kyoto with a book by Nicolas Bouvier in my hand. This is my favorite way of traveling: reading a book about the place I’m in. Truly fabulous experience! And highly recommended too. This long journey showed me how important it is to have a home. Surprise Last, but now least, I was writing a diary for the whole journey and it looks like a lot of materials to deal with but I’m really hoping to work on it and publish it as a book. I will keep you posted when I have more details. For now, please read my posts from a travel around the world and keep your fingers crossed!  

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“In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbit-hole, and that means comfort.” This quote from J.R.R. Tolkien masterpiece came to my mind the moment I saw Shaun. He was sitting there in one of the cafes of North Shore of Auckland waiting for me. And I am pretty sure he was thinking about Hobbiton this very moment. Because that was the reason for our meeting. Interested in details? Where to start? How about if Shaun tells for himself what brought him to New Zealand? “In 2001 and at the age of 12, I watched The Fellowship of the Ring in the cinema… Having no clue about the LOTR books I left the cinema feeling pretty annoyed – how could an awesome film just end like that! A year later and after a bit of research the Two Towers came out and so began my new found love for film! After a final film, 3 extended editions and hours of special features later, I was obsessed! I needed to visit New Zealand – the landscape just looked incredible! My love for film continued to grow over the next few years – I wanted to be a filmmaker! I chose to study film at college then went on to study it at university. After making a few short films and in my second year of uni I found myself losing interest in filmmaking, studying it was destroying my passion! The same year I bought a little SLR and began experimenting with photography. During the last year of university our final film project had to be documented in photos and I quickly became the go-to guy for the on set photography. After shooting a few other uni events, I had found my calling. I ended up working with a kiwi photographer in Liverpool who helped develop my photographic skills. Last year 12 years after the first Lord of the Rings was released I finally managed to get to NZ. Now, being a photographer, I can share images that hopefully inspire other people to visit this beautiful country. I can’t wait to spend a few more years here!” After Shaun came to New Zealand he was taking pictures in many The Lord of the Rings locations, including Hobbiton. When he visited the Hobbiton Movie Site he shared his pictures with them and it happened that they really liked it. Eventually, after working for them for a while he became the official photographer of the Hobbiton. How cool is that? Through his excellent skills and interest in Tolkien books and Peter Jackson movies, his pictures taken in Hobbiton became iconic. You probably saw them more than once and I’m pretty sure watching them made you thinking How on earth there is a place like this? We were sitting in this cafe, talking about books, pictures, New Zealand, migration, bare feet, wines, Waiheke, well pretty much about everything what comes to mind in a warm summer afternoon. Shaun is a delightful person. It is rare to combine excellent skills and great passion just like he does. You can see it in his eyes when he is explaining the way he photographed Milky Way standing in front of his camera in a cold dark night in the middle of nowhere. I mean, what else would draw him there? So no he is living in New Zealand immersing himself in Kiwi chill out. Wonderful weather and breathtaking views make the South Island his favorite place on earth. So far. For me, this was not only a real pleasure to spend my day with him but also a great privilege to discuss the issues related to photography, Hobbit, New Zealand and traveling with a person like Shaun. I hope his pictures not only make you happy when you look at them but will also bring him satisfaction and fulfilment.  About Shaun Shaun Jeffers is currently Auckland based photographer specialising in event, commercial and landscape photography. Originally from Liverpool, at the age of 25 Shaun has worked with some of the biggest companies in the UK and in New Zealand. If you don’t follow his Instagram account and like beautiful pictures you should start following him today! Find out more about Shaun and his photography here: Official site – Facebook – Instagram – Twitter Disclosure: all pictures courtesy of Shaun Jeffers.  

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New Zealand is full of beautiful sites and interesting people. Just recently I met Shaun Jefferson, a photographer, and today I’m sharing some thoughts by Sarah Bennett. She is not only a traveler and adventurer but also runs a publishing house and collaborates with Lonely Planet. She is an expert in New Zealand best trails, bike routes and camping sites. Exclusively for you she shared some of her best kept secrets on how to become a good travel writer. Ladies and gentlemen: meet Sarah Bennett! 1. What do you find the most important characteristics of a good travel writer? I think to become a good travel writer you must first be a good traveller –curious about the world, always seeking out new places and discovering their stories, and connecting with people along the way. In fact, one of the skills I use most in my work as a travel writer is the ability to talk with strangers – both the locals and fellow travellers. That’s where you get the good oil. 2. What is your idea for collecting fascinating stories and telling them in attractive way? As a general rule, I write the stories I want to read. This means they usually focus on outdoor adventures, which have proven a rich vein for action, fun, and the occasional mishap for colour and interest. In terms of style, I like to keep things informal and humorous, within the bounds of proper grammar and other editorial principles of course! 3. How do you plan work on a guidebook or article? Guidebook writing and feature writing are very distinct genres requiring very different approaches. Guidebook writing requires an enormous amount of pre-research and on-the-road legwork, so I’ve honed sharp organisational skills that keep me on track. It’s very intense. Feature writing, on the other hand, is more organic. I generally start with an adventure, which invariably morphs into a yarn as it unfolds. There’s always a story somewhere – sometimes it lands in your lap; at other times you need to tease it out. 4. How long did you work on your writing skills and on the general workshop? What was most helpful in mastering them? My skills have evolved slowly and organically over 20 years or so. I believe the key to becoming a better writer is to read more and write more. The trick is squeezing that in between living, the doing, the being. I treasure my career, but it’s only part of my life’s work. 5. Year after year New Zealand in general and Auckland in particular are among top 10 best places to live. Would you agree with it? And if so, what is so special about it? I’m never surprised to see New Zealand feature on a list of top places – to live, work, or travel. New Zealand’s isolation, short human history, fascinating geology and unique plant and animal life make truly unique, and it’s so easy to get out and appreciate it. And I think in this crazy era we live in, the natural world is a powerful force in refocusing our sights on what really matters. So that’s it, in a nutshell – it’s New Zealand’s natural world. It’s special. It’s magic. 6. What is the best and the worst about Kiwis? Is it the way they drive? The best thing about New Zealanders is their kindness and consideration for others. When it comes to the matter of driving, we do face some challenges. Our roads are often narrow, winding, and lack significant hard shoulder. They’re a trap for both local and visitor alike, and sadly, the faster they go, the bigger the mess. 7. How do you travel around New Zealand? Lee and I travel in a home-converted Hiace campervan, with our bicycles on the back. We’re also regular travellers on Air New Zealand – which is pretty fab for a national airline – and the interisland ferry, my favourite journey of all. 8. Describe your perfect weekend in New Zealand. My perfect weekend in New Zealand would see Lee and me parked up in our little campervan in a holiday park or conservation campground. We would bike one day and hike the next, in between enjoying local food and drink – preferably fresh fish and chips washed down with craft beer. The days would be warm, and the skies clear at night for stargazing. There would definitely be swimming, in a pristine lake or limpid river pool, if not at the beach. About Sarah Bennett is a travel writer, editor and publisher. Together with Lee Slater they run a publishing house. They are based in Wellington, New Zealand. There is no better place to discover more about New Zealand than through eyes of the locals. Visit their website and see how many useful books are there! Click www.bennettandslater.co.nz You can find them on Instragram and follow them on Twitter.  

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So disappointing! The weather in Paris crushed my plans. And I wanted to do so many things related to my favorite writer Samuel Beckett! You know the story of Beckett and Little Museum of Dublin so you are not surprised I wanted to visit all places related to his long residence in Paris. I wanted to have a coffee in his favorite place, look at the neighborhood where he lived and finally visit his grave on Montparnasse cemetery. It didn’t work. When I saw heavy and dark clouds this morning I thought this plan might not be easy to proceed with. Just when I met a photographer and blogger Lanora I went straight to the Montparnasse graveyard. When I entered it was already drizzling but not excessively so I thought I still have a while to find the grave. I met an old French man just at the front of a small map and tried to get informed about topography of the place. He did not speak French but was so dear! I like this sort of old man that remind me my grandfather. They wear weird hats and have a lot of time. He would take my hand and lead me to a place I could recognize from a map. Then he dissapeared leaving me there but I was sure I could have handled from there. Well, I couldn’t. I went through the sector where the grave of Samuel Beckett should be located and haven’t found it. In a meantime the drizzle turned into a serious rain. But I didn’t give up. I run back to the map, checked again and turned back to the sector 12 looking at all graves one after another. After half an hour or rain and when I got soaked I thought that’s enough. And went back to the subway. Funny thing: I didn’t feel down. I remember what Beckett used to say: Nothing is funnier than unhappiness, I grant you that. Yes, yes, it’s the most comical thing in the world. I looked at the Montparnasse cemetery and it was so beautiful! Just in the middle of this busy city you have a peaceful place with big trees and lovely little figures guarding the graves of most famous people. The trees were yellow and the alleys were covered with yellow carpet. It was raining so all graves were wet and shiny. This was a very picturesque place. So I went back to the hotel quite comfort. Peace and silence are things we probably need most.  

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