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THE BEST MOMENT OF YOUR LIFE FOREWORD What is the best moment of your life? It’s a simple question to ask, a much harder one to answer. I should know. Over the past year I’ve asked it of hundreds of people who’ve travelled the globe, and often had to wait patiently for the answer. But every response – judiciously plucked from a lifetime’s worth of memorable moments – was always worth the wait.

Needless to say, the quality of replies made selecting of the city first that he’d heard countless stories the top 100 responses to fill this title a very difficult of, but more importantly he discovered another prospect indeed. What I hope to convey with wonderful side to the woman who raised him (p. 12). the stories that I have chosen is the sheer variety of ways that travel can positively affect your life. Wading into your own history or that of others is a Like the lives we live, each of these experiences remarkable thing, and it can certainly cement a moment’s is unique, both in how it plays out and how it has importance in your life. This could be playing a part affected the author afterwards (’The Take Away’). of history itself, such Duff Battye witnessing the first free speech of Nelson Mandela (p. 22), or it may be For some, the best moment couldn’t be more important, seemingly travelling back in time to touch a forgotten literally separating their life into a before and an after. This past. Emma Thomson’s explorations of Sudan’s pyramids was certainly the case for me, as my life was transformed at Begrawiya was a moving example of the latter (p. 90). during my first foray into India (p. 8). There, on the bank of the River Ganges, I realised the biggest tragedy of my The power and majesty of wildlife, whether a captivating life wouldn’t be dying – it would be not actually living. encounter with a mountain gorilla (p. 62), a fleeting Another of the lives divided distinctly in two is that of glimpse of a snow leopard (p. 208) or long-awaited tiger actor, director and writer Andrew McCarthy. Although sighting (p. 92), is also something that clearly impacts walking the Camino de Santiago in northern Spain (p. 36), the lives of those who have witnessed it. The beauty he wasn’t expecting his moment, yet it crept up on him and sheer scale of our environment that houses all of regardless. And rather than being marked with joy and Earth’s creatures has proved to be no less influential laughter, it was framed with tears and sorrow. Interestingly, in travellers’ lives, with best moments sparked by its significance was actually lost on him at the time and everything from the endless cosmos and dramatic was only to be discovered the following morning. deserts to twinkling city skylines and calving glaciers. The larger the backdrop, the more we seem to be able Other moments clearly mark high points or adventurous to bring some perspective to our place on this planet. accomplishments in the lives of those who have lived As Adrian Phillips (p. 194) puts it so brilliantly: ’Strange them, whether summiting Yosemite’s Half Dome (p. 60), as it sounds, nothing is more liberating – exhilarating cycling 11,000km around the shores of the Mediterranean even – than to experience a true sense of insignificance.’ (p. 80) or proving to yourself that parenthood won’t curb your adventurous spirit (p. 84). For Katalin Thomann Lastly, it’s the interactions with our fellow humans that in Tibet, it was as simple as finding true love (p. 42). often spark moments of a lifetime. Opening yourself up to others, even at the expense of the best-laid Family bonds are key to most of our lives, so it’s plans, can often provide rewards you never dreamed not surprising that they can play a role in some of possible. As my father says, ’Being present is a present.’ our greatest moments. For Cristian Bonetto, it was travelling with his mother to her childhood haunt of Matt Phillips Alexandria, Egypt – he not only witnessed elements © Mark Read | Lonely Planet | Lonely © Mark Read

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History Journey Environment 11 THE BEST MOMENT OF YOUR LIFE THE BEST MOMENT OF YOUR LIFE

CONTENTS 1 Discovering Life on the 18 Retracing the Slave Revolt 36 Coast Path Conquest 53 Death and Reincarnation 71 Tracking Desert Elephants 88 Guyana's Greatest Gift Bank of the Ganges John Gimlette 52 Paul Bloomfield 96 on the Kora Tony Wheeler 140 Simon Parker 184 Chris Leadbeater 230 Matt Phillips 8 19 First Watch on the Coral 37 Riding the Midnight Train 54 Jetty of Joy 72 Watching Lava Flow 89 Face to Face with Seven 2 An Egyptian Homecoming Sea Ruth Cosgrove 54 Wailana Kalama 100 Richard Mellor 142 Oliver Berry 188 Lions Mark Eveleigh 232 Cristian Bonetto 12 20 On Horseback with 38 Floating Among Giants on 55 Forgetting Solitude 73 Biking (and Bagging) Mont 90 Life Lessons in the Amazon 3 Ice Skating on a Glass Lake Gauchos Brett Atkinson 56 Canoe Safari in the Grand Canyon Ventoux Lori Rackl 190 Anne Howard 236 Duncan Craig 14 21 Climbing Half Dome Aurelia India Birwood 102 Amy C Balfour 144 74 Lost (and Found) without 91 A Mountain Gazelle 4 Navajo Ceremony: Neil Wilson 60 39 Hitting New Himalayan 56 Taking the Plunge Language or Direction Suzanne Joinson 238 Opening the Door 22 An Enlightening Encounter Highs Stephanie Pearson 104 with Whale Sharks Fionn Davenport 192 92 A True Transition in Aaron Millar 16 with Mountain Gorillas 40 Petra by Candlelight Georgina Wilson-Powell 146 75 Road-Tripping on Transit Pico Iyer 240 5 Finding Life on the Tour Jane Powell 62 Mike MacEacheran 106 57 Topping El Teide the Carretera Austral 93 Skiiing Up, Snowboarding du Mont Blanc 23 Rousing Respect 41 A Brotherhood on Kili Paul Stiles 150 Adrian Phillips 194 Down Toby Skinner 242 Ian MacEacheran 18 William Allen 64 David Gorvett 110 58 Oceanic Odyssey 76 Epiphany at Notre Dame 94 A Free Ride - Gary Arndt 246 6 Witnessing Mandela’s First 24 Temples at Dawn 42 Staring into an Lucy Corne 152 Don George 198 95 Twilight Surf Free Speech Duff Battye 22 Nicky Holford 66 Active Volcano 59 Looking Up to the Wonder 77 Summiting Mt Elbrus Duncan Madden 248 7 Bewitched by Lions 25 Coral Island Castaway James Gabriel Martin 112 of Penny Carroll 154 Hugo Turner 200 96 Moment at Machu Picchu Korina Miller 24 William Gray 70 43 Cycling the Temple Trail 60 Emerging from the Gobi 78 Chasing the Northern Susan Kurosawa 250 8 Touching History at the 26 Central Park Stroll Joe Minihani 114 Desert Benedict Allen 156 Lights Nick Boulos 202 97 Space Shuttle Launch Western Wall Anita Isalska 26 in the Snow 44 Good Heavens Above 61 Sperm Whales Gathering 79 Golden City Mornings Paul Brady 252 9 Carnival’s Wave of Alegría Tasmin Waby 72 Sally Gray 116 Sarah Outen 160 Kait Reynolds 206 98 Meeting the Naga Babas Robert Landon 28 27 Remote Mountain Rescue 45 Journey to the Centre 62 A Window into Antarctica 80 Tracking Snow Leopards Gopi Kallayil 256 10 Stories of the Trans-Siberian Stephen Lioy 74 of the Earth Chris Zeiher 120 Jamie Lafferty 162 Mike Unwin 208 99 Riding the Road of Bones Railway John Lee 32 28 In the Arabian Sands 46 Following Finn on the 63 A Writer’s Vision 81 The Great Hindu Gathering Charley Boorman 258 11 Shooting Star Below the Oliver Smith 76 Mississippi Nicola Trup 122 Anthony Ham 164 Mark Stratton 212 100 Making a Connection Antarctic Circle 29 Bicyling Beyond Fear 47 Exploring Colombia’s 64 It’s Not About the Bucket 82 Eyes Over the Outback Laura Millar 260 Jurriaan Teulings 34 Ethan Gelber 80 ‘Lost’ City Sarah Reid 124 List Mike Howard 166 Ross Turner 216 12 Putting Fear to Bed on the 30 Swimming with Whales 48 Exploring Precious 65 Snowed-Out on Wutai 83 Unlikely Encounter on the Camino Andrew McCarthy 36 Jean-Bernard Carillet 82 Madagascan Forests Shan Damian Harper 170 Thames Marcel Theroux 218 13 Passing the Flinch Test 31 Pre-Parenthood Pyramid Emma Gregg 126 66 Soul Food on Mt Bierstadt 84 Follow Me: Japanese Brian Jackman 40 Liz Edwards 84 49 Lightening the Load Laura Brown 172 Hospitality 14 Love, Light and Trekking 32 An Arctic Picnic Ashley Garver 130 67 Touching Tibet Katharine Nelson 220 in Tibet Katalin Thomann 42 Nigel Tisdall 86 50 Discovering Ancient Persia Antonia Bolingbroke-Kent 174 85 Carefree Campervan 15 Encountering Kuchi 33 Dunes, Glyphs and Claire Beyer 132 68 A String of Black Pearls Adventure Nomads Paul Clammer 44 Pyramids Emma Thomson 90 51 The Paris Opera in the Sophie Cunningham 178 Hannah Summers 222 16 Cliff Camping in Colorado 34 Long-Awaited Tiger Desert Brendan Sainsbury 134 69 Flying Flip-Flops and the 86 The Ultima Thule Everest Jonathan Thompson 46 Sighting Daniel McCrohan 92 52 Finding Perspective on the Birkenstock Thomas Mills 180 Expedition Art Wolfe 226 17 Pacific Perspective 35 Post-Tsunami Volunteering West Coast Trail 70 Wild Camping in Wales 87 Learning to Love Solitude Simon Heptinstall 50 Stephen Phelan 94 Dayna Aamodt 136 Phoebe Smith 182 Abigail Butcher 228

6 7 THE BEST MOMENT OF YOUR LIFE THE BEST MOMENT OF YOUR LIFE

One pilgrim collects The Take Away the cultural complexities (and also the 81 alms prior to Besides generating overwhelming heat if the mela occurs during summer). aarti worship emotions, this experience also imbued Plan at least one year in advance; the in me a new sense of self-confidence issue isn’t flights to India but getting to the that I could thrive in any adversity – I’d city and accommodation once there. You lived off my instincts and survived the can book a train to Haridwar from Delhi intense and mind-altering melee. I also felt online via Indian Railways (indianrail.gov. honoured to better understand a religion in) some months in advance. Excellent that to outsiders can seem baffling. options for accommodation are the purpose-built tented camps that you can THE GREAT The Build Up arrange via specialist tour operators such Determined by the cosmic alignment of the as Transindus (transindus.co.uk). Given heavens, Kumbh Melas occur four times the scale of the Kumbh Mela and your HINDU GATHERING over a 12-year cycle at Haridwar, Prayag close proximity to millions of revellers, (Allahabad), Nashik and Ujjain. The next full make sure your inoculations are updated HARIDWAR, INDIA Kumbh Mela returns to Haridwar in 2022. because good karma doesn’t guarantee A Hindu sadhu, This experience is probably not one for immortality. Claustrophobics need not apply. or holy person, first-time visitors to India – spend a week As the Kumbh Mela gathering reached a at Haridwar in Varanasi first to see if you can cope with Below: crowds descend to bathe in the Ganges cosmic alignment of chaos and cacophony, the Hindustan Times was reporting 14 million pilgrims already inside the city and 100,000 arriving every hour. So when I stepped outside my hotel I was buffeted along by a maelstrom of pilgrims seeking quick karma via an auspicious snan (bath) in the sacred Ganges. Hundreds and thousands were on the move: flowing like a river in spate towards Har-ki-Pairi Ghat, where Hindu mythology claims the amrit (nectar) of immortality was dropped down from heaven via Vishnu. Immovable holy cows proved decorated impediments to the febrile crowd. The fug of marijuana exhaled by orange- robed ascetics mingled with sweeter aromas of sandalwood and incense. One long-haired pilgrim waving Shiva’s trident smeared vermilion kumkum on my forehead and grinned maniacally. I told myself to just stay upright and stay alive in the crush. But actually I’d never felt more alive, cheek-by-jowl with the ecstasy of belief that there was life beyond mortality. We poured over the stone ghat steps into the Ganges, as if a waterfall. Borne by momentum my karma was cast in Har-ki-Pairi’s ancient sacred stones. I joined pilgrims in stripping down to underwear then splashed, howling with cold and laughing hysterically, into glacial waters that funnelled down from the Himalayas. I’d never felt so exhilarated. The devotional chant of Har Har Mahadev burrowed into my brain as a cup of sweet Indian chai revived my chilled extremities. The greatest show on Earth had held me in its throes.

By Mark Stratton © Mark Stratton

212 THE BEST MOMENT OF YOUR LIFE 82

EYES OVER THE OUTBACK RED CENTRE, AUSTRALIA

Struggling to contain my the different air pressures, and enables me to excitement, I laid the wing of my avoid the more turbulent hot layers of air) as paramotor out on the hot Australian the sun started to near the western horizon. sand. I was about to attempt to fly However, it became apparent that the quickly 30km (19 miles) south to Mt Connor fading light wouldn’t allow me to reach Mt (859m/2818ft), a distinctive flat-topped monolith Connor, so I made a sweeping turn to aim back rising dramatically out of Australia’s Northern towards base. And then it hit me – soaring Territory – it was a flight I’d always longed to do. majestically out of Australia’s Red Centre, some With safety checks complete and the engine 120km (75 miles) away, were Uluru and Kata warmed up, I raised the wing above me. Tjuta. I couldn’t quite believe the scale of the Glowing in the late-afternoon winter sun, my view that welcomed me. And the combination of paramotor was ready for take off. I was soon desert dust and the sun’s last light was turning airborne, and conditions were perfect – a slight everything the most astonishing orange. tailwind was propelling me towards my lofty goal. I could feel the smooth, cold air on my By Ross Turner bare legs (wearing shorts allows me to feel

The Take Away Association of Paragliding Pilots systems and patterns, and thermal I’d been so focused on getting to and Instructors (appippg.org). forecasts – all of which are crucial Mt Connor that I hadn’t bothered These can be acquired after an in determining your flight path. to notice what was around me. intensive training course and Mt Connor has significant Sometimes you have to lift your building up your flight hours. meaning to the Aboriginal people head up and relish the journey For such an expedition in the of Australia, who know it as Atila. instead of solely concentrating Northern Territory you’d also need Often mistaken for Uluru, it can on the destination. I now make to bring plenty of kit besides the be seen from the Lasseter Hwy, sure I take moments to pause, paramotors themselves, namely which connects Uluru-Kata Tjuta reflect and take everything in. reserve wings, helmets, satellite National Park with Alice Springs via phones, GPS tracker, solar panels, the Stuart Hwy. You’ll see a well- The Build Up camping gear, fuel, food and water. signposted lookout about 20km To fly a paramotor (powered Time is also needed to research (12 miles) east of Curtin Springs. paraglider; PPG) in Australia local air restrictions, flight paths and elsewhere, it’s necessary of commercial planes, emergency Left: looking down over Uluru and

217 THE BEST MOMENT OF YOUR LIFE DESTINATION INDEX

A I Kenya 40 Afganistan 44 Iceland 120, 178 Albania 80 India 8, 24, 92, 130, 174, 208, 212, 256 R Algeria 80 Indonesia 55 Russia 32, 200, 202, 258 Antarctica 34, 162 Iran 132, 260 Rwanda 62 Atlanic Ocean 160 Israel & Palestinian Territories 26, 80 Argentina 228 Italy 18, 80 S Australia 55, 70, 154, 216 Saudia Arabia 77 Austria 15 J Scotland 183, 222 Japan 64, 94, 112, 220, 240 Slovenia 80 B Jordan 80, 106 South Africa 22, 152 Bosnia 80 Spain 36, 80, 150, 206 Botswana 116 K Sudan 90 Brazil 28, 236 Kyrgyzstan 74 Sweden 14 Switzerland 18 C L Syria 80 Cambodia 114 Laos 164 Canada 15, 136 Libya 80 T Chile 56, 194 Lebanon 80 Tahiti 82 China 32, 42, 140, 170, 192, 226, 253 Tanzania 110 Colombia 124 M Thailand 164 Croatia 80 Madagascar 126 Tibet 42, 140, 174, 226 Cyprus 80 Mali 185 Tristan da Cunha 152 Mexico 84 Tunisa 80 D Monaco 80 Turkey 80 Djibouti 146 Mongolia 156 Democratic Republic of Congo 63 Morocco 80, 134 U Myanmar 66 UK 96, 182, 218, 222 E Uganda 62, 232 Ecuador 188 N United Arab Emirates 77 Egypt 12, 80 Namibia 184 USA 15, 16, 46, 60, 72, 122, 144, 172, 252 England 96, 183, 218 Nepal 104 Uzbekistan 100 Netherlands 15 F New Zealand 248 V Fiji 50 Norway 242 Vietnam 180 Finland 15, 202 France 18, 36, 80, 190, 198 O W Oman 76, 246 Wales 182 G Gibraltar 80 P Y Greece 80 Papua New Guinea 54 Yemen 77, 238 Greenland 86, 142, 200 Peru 166, 250 Guyana 52, 230 Z K Zambia 102 253

264 THE BEST MOMENT OF YOUR LIFE THE BEST MOMENT OF YOUR LIFE Writer Bios Dayna Aamodt has had many special Oliver Berry has had lots of wonderful America’s National Parks and hiking to Liz Edwards didn’t board a plane or including AITO Travel Writer of the Year. Anita Isalska is a freelance travel writer. moments while travelling, including riding wildlife encounters, from watching bears watch sunsets from high peaks. eat a curry till she was 17; she’s been Though non-religious, Anita’s travels have gondolas in Venice, walking with her in the Rocky Mountains and orang-utans catching up ever since, visiting 50-plus Emma Gregg is an award-winning travel taken her to pilgrimage sites from Lourdes husband along the Seine in Paris, visiting in the Bornean rainforest to swimming Jean-Bernard Carillet is a Paris-based countries to write about travel, food, or journalist who has visited over 30 African in France to Bulgaria’s Rila Monastery. Anita the Great Wall of China and indulging in with humpback whales in Tonga. His latest writer and photographer who specialises in both. She’s currently associate editor of countries, sampling everything from obscure covered Jerusalem for Lonely Planet’s latest pastries in the cafes of Vienna, but nothing adventures are published at oliverberry.com. Africa, France, Turkey, the Indian Ocean, the The Sunday Times Travel Magazine. music festivals to five-star safaris. Based Israel & the Palestinian Territories guide. compares to the West Coast Trail. Caribbean and the Pacific. He loves adventure, in the UK, she focuses on responsible Abigail Butcher, inspired by her life’s best remote places, outdoors, archaeological Mark Eveleigh almost fell into travel tourism, wildlife, nature and culture and Pico Iyer is the author of many books Benedict Allen is one of the world's leading moment, left a stressful news editor desk sites, food and – unsurprisingly – islands. writing – he was inspired to start by a is always planning the next adventure. on the travel shelves, including Video adventurer-explorers. Despite travelling job in London to live by the sea in the New nerve-wracking six hours spent dangling on Night in Kathmandu, The Lady and in the modern era, he famously forgoes Forest, Hampshire, UK. She now travels Penny Carroll got her first taste of wanderlust a frayed wire in Venezuelan cable car. Since Anthony Ham writes for magazines and the Monk and, most recently, The Man the technological safety net, choosing to the world as a freelance adventure travel in 1992 when her family took an epic, nine- then he’s contributed to 80 international newspapers around the world, and has Within My Head and The Open Road. travel without a GPS or phone of any kind. and ski journalist. Wherever and whenever month road trip around Australia. She’s publications. Though based in SE Asia, he’s written more than 120 guidebooks for Lonely Instead he relies on training and the forging possible she shares her forays with Thala, her been exploring ever since, and now writes always hankering to get back to Africa. Planet. He spent ten years living in Madrid Brian Jackman is Britain’s foremost writer on of relationships with the indigenous people Rhodesian ridgeback and partner in crime. for Lonely Planet. Watching the northern Read more at markeveleigh.com. and is most often found travelling in Africa, wildlife safaris. He’s also a journalist and author he encounters. He has also pioneered the lights in Iceland and hiking Tasmania’s the Arctic or remote corners of Australia. (with Jonathan Scott) of The Marsh Lions. He recording of extreme journeys for television. Claire Beyer is a keen off-the-beaten- Overland Track in 3m-deep snow are among Ashley Garver believes travel is one of is a patron of Tusk Trust and a trustee of the track explorer who has also volunteered her most thrilling travel experiences. the most empowering tools to get to Damian Harper, holder of two degrees George Adamson Wildlife Preservation Trust. Will Allen has lived in three cities and numerous times with various environmental know yourself, each other and the world (History of Art from Leeds University, travelled to more than a dozen countries organisations in Southeast Asia that work Paul Clammer has worked as a molecular around you. In 2013 she took a year-long Modern and Classical Chinese from SOAS), Suzanne Joinson is an award winning across three continents, which in his in the area of elephant conservation. biologist, tour leader and travel writer. sabbatical, traveling solo throughout travels the world as a writer for Lonely novelist, her books A Lady Cyclist’s Guide opinion is not nearly enough. Since 2003 he has contributed to around Southeast Asia, India and Europe. Planet. His rules: go everywhere with an to Kashgar and The Photographer’s Wife are Paul Bloomfield is a writer and photographer 30 Lonely Planet guides, covering open mind, prepare to be amazed by published by Bloomsbury. She regularly writes Gary Arndt is an awarding-winning blogger who’s hiked in six continents, tackling trails swathes of South and Central Asia, West Ethan Gelber has been travelling well outside what you see and tell everyone about it. for the New York Times and other publications. and travel photographer who has been in India, Morocco and Australia. As well and North Africa and the Caribbean. of his comfort zone for nearly 30 years, roving the world since 2007. To date he as contributing to Lonely Planet books, often by bicycle. In 1997, he successfully Simon Heptinstall was described as 'a Wailana Kalama is a freelance travel writer has visited over 120 countries and more he writes for he writes for newspapers Lucy Corne is a freelance travel and beer led an ‘educational Internet adventure’ miserable little squirt' by Private Eye shortly from Hawaii, but currently hanging her than 335 Unesco World Heritage sites. and magazines including The Telegraph, writer living in Cape Town. She has travelled team of five cyclists on BikeAbout–the after he took up journalism (he was formerly hat in Stockholm. She’s travelled through Times, Independent and Wanderlust. to 50 countries and visited every continent Mediterranean (bikeabout.org). a taxi driver and garage manager). He says 40 countries, and lived in six. She has a Brett Atkinson has travelled to almost bar Antarctica, but Tristan da Cunha he's grown a bit and cheered up slightly complicated relationship with jet lag. 80 countries, and is most content when Cristian Bonetto spends much of his time remains her proudest passport stamp. Don George is the author of The Way of since then, so only the 'squirt' still applies. discovering local flavours or checking out traversing the globe as a travel writer in search Wanderlust and How to Be a Travel Writer. Gopi Kallayil pored over travel books a region's craft beer scene. His favourite of curious characters, cultural quirks and Ruth Cosgrove caught the travel bug when He has been a travel writer and editor for Nicky Holford is equally at home sleeping about the world beyond his native India international cities are Istanbul, San Francisco decent cups of coffee. His main stomping her Mum took her backpacking through the San Francisco Examiner-Chronicle, under the stars in the Wadi Rum desert, while growing up. Today he’s travelled and Hanoi. Home is New Zealand. grounds include Los Angeles, New York, Europe at the age of six. Since then she’s Salon.com, Lonely Planet, and National dancing to reggae in Jamaica or galloping through nearly 60 countries and all seven Italy, Denmark and his beloved Australia. sailed, walked and written in as many places Geographic Traveler. In 40 years he has a horse across the savannah in Botswana. continents – he is more awed than ever Amy Balfour has hiked, biked and paddled as possible and plans to keep going. visited 90 countries on six continents. She lives with her husband, Norfolk at the huge, diverse world we occupy. her way across the United States. Her Charley Boorman is an actor, travel terrier and horse in the Cotswolds. favourite spots for US-based adventure adventurer and motorcycle enthusiast. Duncan Craig is Assistant Travel Editor of John Gimlette is the author of five travel Susan Kurosawa first travelled, at age include the Grand Canyon, the Gauley His first big adventure was the iconic, The Sunday Times, a former Lonely Planet books, and has won the Shiva Naipaul Prize Anne Howard quit her job in 2012 as an seven, with her foreign correspondent father River, Half Dome and the Racetrack award-winning series Long Way Round, magazine features editor, and has twice been for travel writing, and the Dolman Travel executive editor in NYC to travel the world with from England to France, where he insisted Playa. She has written or co-written more which saw him and close friend Ewan shortlisted for AITO Travel Writer of the Year. Book Prize for 2012. He lives in London. her husband Mike. Considered to be on the she learn “the art of observation”. Based in than 30 books for Lonely Planet. McGregor motorcycle around the world. Specialising in active and adventure travel, world's longest honeymoon, the Howards are Sydney, she has written eight books, including he’s kayaked in Antarctica, trekked through the David Gorvett has travelled through much leading couples travel experts, sharing their a best-selling novel, and has been Travel Duff Battye has sheared sheep, bobsleighed, Nick Boulos fell in love with travelling aged Congo and run ultramarathons in the Sahara. of the Americas, Europe and Asia-Pacific tips on Twitter (@HoneyTrek) and in National Editor of The Weekend Australian since 1992. fished, dived with sharks, trekked, skydived, four on a trip to Egypt, sparking an affair and his trip to Tanzania was the tantalizing Geographic's Ultimate Journeys for Two. sailed and more while visiting countries as that continues to this day. As an award- Sophie Cunningham has been travelling first of many to come (he hopes) to Africa. Jamie Lafferty is a Scottish travel writer varied as Australia, China, Egypt, Iceland, India, winning travel writer, he has visited more since 1982, which is about five years longer Mike Howard has been traveling around the and photographer who has visited over Kiribati, New Zealand, Mexico and Russia. His than 100 countries for titles such as the than she’s been working in publishing Sally Gray is a writer, editor and primary world with his wife Anne ever since they left 100 countries and Antarctica three times favourite destination remains North Wales. Washington Post and The Sunday Times. and as a writer. She’s the author of four education specialist. Having edited the on their honeymoon in 2012. They've been (so far). He hates the smell of penguin books. Her main ports of call have been Kenya Airways inflight magazine, Africa chronicling their adventures across seven guano, right up until he can’t smell it any Antonia Bolingbroke-Kent is a travel Paul Brady is articles editor at Condé India, Indonesia and the United States but remains her favourite destination, but continents and 50+ countries HoneyTrek. more. Read more at jamielafferty.com. writer, freelance TV producer and director Nast Traveler in New York City. He’s written she’s hoping to expand her repertoire. her travels have taken her all over the com and their National Geographic of Edge Expeditions. She has written three about expats in Mérida, great Riesling in world – from Alaska to New Zealand. book, Ultimate Journeys for Two. Robert Landon has lived a block from books, the latest being Land of the Dawn-Lit the Finger Lakes and a very strange puppet Fionn Davenport has been a travel Copacabana beach for six years and has co- Mountains: A Journey Across Arunachal show in Providence, Rhode Island. writer since the mid-1990s (around the William Gray’s time on Heron Island Aurelia India Birwood made her first trip authored two editions of Lonely Planet's Brazil Pradesh – India’s Forgotten Frontier. Learn time he trekked Tiger Leaping Gorge; nurtured a fledgling dream to become a to Africa in 1997, which was an exciting foray guide. He has attended Carnival as both a more at itinerant.co.uk or follow her on Laura Brown has travelled extensively p. 192) and, despite travelling the photographer and writer. Nearly 30 years later, into the streets of Cairo and the Pyramids of single and married, man. Both are magical, but Twitter and Instagram (@AntsBK). across the Western Hemisphere, with a world in pursuit of a good travel story, he’s one of the UK’s most respected travel Giza. Since then she’s returned often, falling if you can choose, he recommends the former. particular fondness for photographing has yet to make it back to China. journalists with numerous awards to his name, for different things each and every visit.

268 269 THE BEST MOMENT OF YOUR LIFE THE BEST MOMENT OF YOUR LIFE

Chris Leadbeater is a British travel journalist beaten-track videos on danielmccrohan.com. whether doing, being or exploring. travel-related at ecotravelist.com. cross-continental luxury trains and Nicola Trup is a London-based freelance who has been filling his passport with niche private islands. Home is Amsterdam. travel journalist and editor. Formerly Deputy stamps (many of them South American) for Richard Mellor, a former PR executive for Simon Parker is a travel writer and foreign Kait Reynolds is a writer and designer Head of Travel for The Independent and the 20 years. He lives in London, but is working his travel companies, realised that he preferred correspondent that has reported from from Austin, Texas. Recently she traded Katalin Thomann has travelled extensively, London Evening Standard, she's a fan of big way towards the feted 100-country mark (and writing about foreign lands rather than almost 100 countries. He makes TV and her suit for a plane ticket, and has been volunteering in Tibet, Cambodia, Sri Lanka landscapes, spicy food and classic Americana. has now reached 85), so is rarely ever there. showing them to visiting journalists. Based radio documentaries from all over the world exploring the world without an end in and Iran while working for organisations in London, he specialises in Europe and and specialises in adventure travel. In 2016 sight. Find out more at kaitflaked.com. such as Amnesty International. She has Mike Unwin has travelled much of the John Lee has been a full-time travel cities, and loves nature, obscure historical he sailed and cycled from China to London, surfed in the Maldives, kayaked in Alaska and world searching for wildlife and writes writer for 20 years, specialising in stories titbits and anything newfangled or strange. travelling east via the North Pacific. Brendan Sainsbury, when not competing snowboarded in Uzbekistan, but is equally regularly about his experiences for The on beer, cities and trains. He has been a in dubiously-inspired endurance events, at home in Edinburgh where she lives. Telegraph, The Independent, BBC Wildlife Lonely Planet contributor, concentrating Aaron Millar is an award-winning Stephanie Pearson is a contributing editor has contributed to over 50 Lonely Planet and other publications. A specialist in on Vancouver and British Columbia, since journalist, author and the 2014 British to Outside magazine. She has meditated in guidebooks with a strong preference Emma Thomson is an award-winning Africa, his many books include the Bradt 2005. Track his travels at johnleewriter.com. Guild of Travel Writer’s Travel Writer Bhutan, dogsledded in Arctic Sweden, and for Cuba, Spain and Alaska. freelance travel writer that spends Guide to Southern African Wildlife. of the Year. Originally from Brighton, circumnavigated Lake Superior, among many roughly three quarters of the year on the Stephen Lioy is a photographer and England he now hides out in the Rocky other fun adventures. She is yet to be fully Toby Skinner is a freelance editor and road searching out stories – the more Neil Wilson fled the rat race of the oil travel writer based in the Central Asian Mountains of Colorado. Read more at enlightened and lives in northern Minnesota. travel writer, who was formerly editorial adventurous the better. Assignments industry only four years after graduating as state of Kyrgyzstan, where he's equally thebluedotperspective.com; @AaronMWriter development director at Ink, the world’s have ranged from camping wild on the a geologist and has travelled and climbed in likely to be found in the hipster cafes of Stephen Phelan is an Irish writer who biggest travel media company. He likes Antarctic Peninsula and walking the length four continents. He has written more than 80 Bishkek or wild mountains of the Tien. Laura Millar is an award-winning, London- developed a wanderlust through the tall meeting local characters, sea swimming of Namibia's Skeleton Coast to travelling travel guidebooks for a range of publishers. based travel writer who grew up in Scotland. tales of his sailor father. He has lived in and adventures in cold places. the length of the ancient Silk Road. Ian MacEacheran was the first Scotsman Having travelled to only France for the Scotland, Australia, Japan and Argentina Georgina Wilson-Powell has been an editor to climb the North Face of the Eiger in first sixteen years of her life (thanks to her but is now settled in Madrid with his Oliver Smith is a features writer for Jonathan Thompson is a recent British for 15 years and a travel journalist for eight. Switzerland and has summited peaks in the French mother), she developed an insatiable adopted street dog from Buenos Aires. Lonely Planet magazine, and a devotee of Travel Writer of the Year, and is a regular She’s lived in Dubai, France, Ireland and Alps, Andes and Rockies. He has travelled wanderlust which has taken her to countries deserts from the Atacama to the Sahara. contributor to publications including The Daily Australia, is obsessed with New Nordic food, from Costa Rica to Kenya, meeting gorillas like Haiti, Iran, Patagonia and Lebanon. Adrian Phillips is Managing Director of Bradt He was named Travel Writer of the Year Telegraph, The Sunday Times, The Guardian, loves an American roadtrip and is currently in Uganda and coatis in Brazil along the way, Travel Guides, and an award-winning travel 2017 at the Travel Media Awards. Men’s Health and Condé Nast Traveller. exploring the country on her doorstep, the UK. yet is still happiest when in the mountains. Korina Miller grew up on Vancouver writer and broadcaster who has written feature Now based in Dallas, Texas, he specialises Island and has been exploring the globe articles on everything from swamp-walking in Phoebe Smith is an award-winning editor, in US travel and has visited all 50 states. Tasmin Waby is a writer and editor who Mike MacEacheran is an Edinburgh- independently since she was the age the Everglades to seafood safaris in Sweden. travel writer, author and presenter. By grew up in Melbourne, Australia. Her latest based writer and author who regularly of 16, visiting or living in 36 countries night she’s an extreme sleeping outdoors Marcel Theroux is an award-winning adventures see her living on a narrowboat contributes to Lonely Planet magazine, and working with cultural organisations Matt Phillips was a Vancouver-based adventurer who thrives on finding the novelist and broadcaster who writes on Regent’s Canal in London, a city she’s as well as to The Guardian, The Sunday and minority groups. She has written geologist working in gold mines of northern strangest places to sleep in wild locations. regularly for Lonely Planet magazine. His called home on and off her whole life. Times, Condé Nast Traveller and BBC. nearly 40 titles for Lonely Planet. British Columbia when travel changed his novels include Far North and Strange Bodies, She still loves night time – and snow. In his search for the ultimate travel life. After stints writing and researching Paul Stiles began writing for Lonely Planet and most recently, The Secret Books. moment, he has visited 107 countries. Thomas Mills has logged many hours Lonely Planet guides to countries across soon after seeing ‘the Shadow’ atop El Teide in Tony Wheeler made a trek along the on Vancouver’s ultimate fields and his North America, Asia and Africa, he became Tenerife (p. 150). He has subsequently covered Nigel Tisdall is an award-winning British Hippie Trail in 1972 that led him to write the Duncan Madden has spent twenty Frisbee skills have come in handy on many editor of UK-based Travel Africa magazine. Morocco, Madagascar, Borneo, the Philippines, travel writer and photographer whose very first Lonely Planet guide and left him years dragging body and board along adventurous journeys throughout the In 2013 he returned to Lonely Planet to São Tomé and Príncipe, Nepal, and most of globetrotting career began one wet with a lifetime travel addiction. Recently the world’s coastlines in search of world, whether in Timbuktu, Katmandu, become Destination Editor to sub-Saharan the Hawaiian Islands. He still lives in Spain. Monday morning in 1985 when he went Tony travelled back across Asia in the empty waves, natural wonders and the Bahir Dar, the Yukon or Hanoi. Africa. Home is happily now on the bank to London’s Liverpool Street station and opposite direction along the Silk Road. perpetual sensation of being on holiday. of the Thames in Hammersmith, London. Mark Stratton is a writer, photographer, caught a train to Hong Kong. Since then He’s told these stories in magazines, Joe Minihane has travelled across Asia from and radio broadcaster based in the wilds he’s roamed all over the world writing for Art Wolfe is an award-winning photographer newspapers, travel guides and books. Japan to Myanmar, tracked wild dogs in the Jane Powell grew up in England before of Dartmoor National Park. He has a leading newspapers and magazines including who has worked on every continent. His Kenyan bush and eaten his way around New moving to Canada with her family while in preference for any journey that steps outside The Telegraph and Financial Times. photographs of indigenous cultures, vast James Gabriel Martin is a photojournalist York’s Outer Boroughs. He’s happiest finding her teens. A career in teaching followed and his comfort zone and for adventures to landscapes, and wildlife are recognised with a passion for documenting the new wild swimming spots in his native UK. allowed her the time to notch up some rather places most people have never heard of. Hugo Turner is a British adventurer from for their mastery of colour, composition, rich culture and stunning scenery in memorable travel experiences across the Devon. Since the age of 17, when he broke his and perspective. He has published over each of the places that he travels. Katharine Nelson dates her love of globe, ranging from Australia to Venezuela. Hannah Summers is a writer whose career neck in a near catastrophic diving accident, 100 books, including his magnum opus travel to a solo trip around South America was born out of her love of two things: he has been accomplishing goals – along Earth Is My Witness, and is the host of Andrew McCarthy is author of the New when she was 18. She’s followed this Lori Rackl, driven by FOMO (fear of burgers and Bruce Springsteen. When she’s with his twin brother – that no one else has the television series Art Wolfe’s Travels to York Times best selling travel memoir The passion around the world since, hitting a missing out) and wanderlust, has travelled not following Bruce around the world, you’re ever achieved, all in aid of the spinal cord the Edge. Read more at artwolfe.com. Longest Way Home and the young adult particular high in Japan. Originally from to more than 70 countries, many of which likely to find her drinking in a backstreet bar research. More details at theturnertwins.co.uk novel Just Fly Away. He is an editor at Brighton, she now lives in London and she visited while backpacking through or munching some unidentifiable street food Chris Zeiher describes himself as a massive large for National Geographic Traveler. works in marketing for Lonely Planet. Europe in the early ’90s. She’s now the (with The Boss on her headphones, of course). Ross Turner has rowed across the Atlantic, Scandi-file, a Eurovision-tragic and wannabe He is also an actor and director. Travel Editor of the Chicago Tribune. climbed Mount Elbrus and trekked across wine connoisseur. His travels have taken him Sarah Outen MBE is an adventurer Jurriaan Teulings is an award-winning, the polar ice caps of Greenland, all with his around the globe, from discovering boutique Daniel McCrohan is a UK-born, Asia-travel by land and sea. She has spent over a Sarah Reid is a former Destination serendipity-driven travel writer and identical twin brother Hugo. Most recently wine regions in Tasmania and enjoying delicious specialist who has been backpacking his way year, cumulatively, rowing solo across Editor at Lonely Planet. She is now a photographer. He has covered all the Turner Twins have become the first treats on the streets of Tokyo to escaping around the world for 25 years. He’s worked on the world's oceans. Author of two globetrotting freelance travel writer for continents and comfort zones, from adventurers to reach the Australian and hippos on the Chobe River in Botswana and more than 30 guidebooks – for both Lonely books and a motivational speaker, she some of the world’s top travel publishers. Amazonian ayahuasca communes South American poles of inaccessibility. stumbling across lava fields in Iceland. Planet and Trailblazer – and posts off-the- is an advocate of time spent outdoors, She also blogs about all things sustainable and Iranian underground parties to Find out more at theturnertwins.co.uk. 270 271