Ever since childhood I've been a wanderer and an explorer with an inquisitive mind and an urge to find what's over the next hill, or round the next corner. As I got older I became an avid reader of travel books,which served as a source of inspiration to explore the farthest flung locations in the world. Unfortunately, I left school at 16 and began work 3 weeks later. My trips have therefore all been made utilising my two week holiday allowance. Luckily I stayed with the same company for many years and my allowance increased to over 6 weeks leave per year, therefore allowing me to take a few holidays a year, and visit many countries. At the time of writing, it's somewhere approaching 150.(I'm not an obsessive country counter!)

I've found, both when travelling and when at home that I'm one of those people that seems to attract incidents. 'Things' tend to happen to me! Therefore, over the years, I've amassed quite a selection of anecdotes - scary, funny, sad, unbelievable and just plain weird.

Colleagues and friends have often said to me that I should write a book. I always dismissed the idea. I've read a lot of good travel books. I know that most full time writers will have better stories than mine.

One evening a young colleague posed the 'write a book' question, and I gave my usual answer. Her reply set me thinking .

She said "But those books are about lengthy journeys, taken over months or years. Your stories are all from two week trips which anyone could take. I've never read a travel book like that. Your stories are an inspiration to me, and they will be to others. You show that you can go anywhere and do anything, even when you're holding down a fulltime career."

I therefore decided to write the book. It's for anyone who loves to travel, but also has to work. Everyone who understands that the journey is as important as the destination. And anyone who, like me, would rather be eaten by a lion, than run over by a bus!

The Two Week Traveller