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I was first bitten with the incurable travel bug when I went on a five month trip round Europe in 1987. Since then I've travelled whenever and wherever I could, often on my own, but occasionally with friends and lately with my wife (Karen) and stepson (Scott). There is nothing quite like visiting a new place that has a totally different culture to your own .....
I try and give something back to the travel community by making regular postings to WikiTravel, Trip Advisor, Lonely Planet's Thorn Tree (now unfortunately, and rather inexplicably, shut down) and others.
In terms of travel guides, I recommend The Rough Guides unreservedly - I've found them to be the most thorough, accurate and comprehensive guide books around. The name "Rough Guide" may suggest that these books are only for budget travellers willing to rough it, but that is not the case - Rough Guides are outstanding for travellers on any budget, from penniless students to affluent globetrotters. Visit them at www.roughguides.com.
If you're in Southern Africa, buy your Rough Guide from Loot.co.za - simply the best online bookstore around.
| International Trips | Countries Visited | ||
| May 2024 | 31 days | 2 | Japan, Ethiopia |
| June 2023 | 30 days | 1 | Türkiye |
| June 2019 | 29 days | 6 | South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique |
| May 2018 | 30 days | 2 | Spain, France |
| September 2016 | 30 days | 1 | Nepal |
| September 2015 | 15 days | 1 | Mauritius |
| May 2014 | 24 days | 4 | Türkiye, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania |
| June 2012 | 31 days | 1 | China |
| June 2010 | 33 days | 3 | Peru, Bolivia, Argentina |
| September 2008 | 29 days | 2 | Jordan, United Arab Emirates |
| September 2007 | 16 days | 1 | Italy |
| June 2006 | 31 days | 2 | Thailand, Cambodia |
| September 2004 | 31 days | 3 | France, Belgium, Luxembourg |
| May 2002 | 25 days | 2 | Switzerland, USA |
| May 2001 | 46 days | 2 | Australia, Malaysia |
| October 1999 | 15 days | 1 | England |
| August 1999 | 33 days | 7 | Portugal, Spain, Andorra, Gibraltar, Italy, France, Monaco |
| January 1999 | 15 days | 1 | England |
| May 1998 | 59 days | 9 | England, Germany, Austria, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Denmark, Sweden, Norway |
| May 1997 | 11 days | 1 | England |
| October 1996 | 16 days | 2 | England, Austria |
| February 1996 | 10 days | 1 | USA |
| May 1995 | 64 days | 3 | England, USA, Canada |
| May 1992 | 17 days | 3 | England, Sweden, Finland |
| September 1990 | 44 days | 3 | England, Wales, Ireland, France |
| July 1987 | 152 days | 14 | England, Wales, Scotland, France, Monaco, Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, West Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Italy, Vatican |
| South African Trips | Description | ||
| September 2021 | 14 days | Ambling along the north-eastern Wild Coast | |
| January 2016 | 9 days | Walking and canoeing the Sunshine Coast | |
| December 2015 | 6 days | Road trip, Cape Town to Johannesburg and back | |
| January 2015 | 7 days | Sun, sand and surf on the Garden Route | |
| July 2014 | 4 days | Books, coffee and icy cold weather on Route 62 | |
| June 2011 | 7 days | Ambling along the south-western Wild Coast | |
| April 2010 | 4 days | Exploring South Africa's West Coast | |
| January 2009 | 4 days | Cape Town to Port Elizabeth by train | |
| June 2007 | 15 days | Exploring the Southern and Eastern Cape | |
| September 2003 | 9 days | Canoeing down the Orange River | |
| September 2002 | 15 days | Cape Town to Natal via Lesotho | |
| September 2001 | 6 days | Cape Town to Knysna by train | |
| Continent | Countries Visited | ||
| Africa | 9 | Botswana, Ethiopia, Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia | |
| Asia | 9 | Cambodia, China (People's Republic), Japan, Jordan, Malaysia, Nepal, Thailand, Türkiye, United Arab Emirates | |
| Oceania | 1 | Australia | |
| Europe | 28 | Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, England, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland (Republic), Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Monaco, Portugal, Scotland, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Vatican, Wales | |
| North America | 2 | Canada, United States of America | |
| South America | 3 | Argentina, Bolivia, Peru | |
| Total | 52 | ||
A note about countries ...
The following are NOT countries in my opinion and therefore I don't count them in my lists above:
| Gibraltar | A British Overseas Territory, but if it wasn't it would be part of Spain and not independent |
| Falkland Islands | A British Overseas Territory |
| St Helena | A British Overseas Territory |
| Ascension Island | A British Overseas Territory |
| Tristan da Cunha | A British Overseas Territory |
| Ceuta | A Spanish enclave on the north coast of Africa, bordering Morocco |
| Melilla | A Spanish enclave on the north coast of Africa, bordering Morocco |
| Hong Kong | A Special Administrative Region of China |
| Macau | A Special Administrative Region of China |
| Rodrigues Island | Part of Mauritius |
| Northern Cyprus | Occupied and administered by Türkiye |
| West Indies | A loose affiliation of independent Caribbean island nations |
| Dubai |
A semi-autonomous emirate (province) within the United Arab Emirates (UAE); The UAE comprises seven emirates (Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ras al-Khaimah, Umm al-Qawain, Fujairah and Ajman) |
| Abu Dhabi | See "Dubai" above |
| Sharjah | See "Dubai" above |
However, for various historical and political reasons I DO count the following as countries:
| Tibet | Illegally occupied and administered by the People's Republic of China (PRC); The legitimate Tibetan government is exiled in India |
| Taiwan | Properly called the Republic of China (ROC); It is claimed as a province by the People's Republic of China (PRC) |
| England | Part of the United Kingdom (UK), but historically viewed as separate from the other three "nations" that comprise the UK |
| Scotland | See "England" above |
| Wales | See "England" above |
| Northern Ireland | See "England" above |
| Greenland | Administered by Denmark |
| Reunion Island | Administered by France |
| Puerto Rico | Administered by the USA |
| The Vatican | The world's smallest independent country |
| San Marino | The world's oldest independent country |
| Monaco | The world's most densely populated independent country |
| Somaliland | This territory declared itself independent from the wreckage of its parent state of Somalia as far back as 1991 |
| French Polynesia | An overseas country and "collectivity" of France |
| Faroe Islands | An autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark |
| Kosovo | A disputed territory in the Balkans, ravaged by war and internal conflict |
| Palestine | A controversial state in the Middle East, widely recognized by many countries; Its territory and borders are disputed by Israel, the USA and most of Western Europe |
| Western Sahara | Claimed and administered by Morocco; Also called the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR) by the Polisario Front (an independence movement with a government in exile) |