Journal
ESSAYS | TRAVEL | HOME & INTERIORS | PEOPLE | CURIO | FOOD & DRINK | FAMILY, WOMEN & WELLNESS | EDUCATION
Essays, features and dispatches from the last twenty years – some written for The Times, The Telegraph, The Guardian and Condé Nast Traveller, some about the work I do for brands, and some just because. Start with the most-read: the one about having a baby with my gay best friend.
“Are you mad?” Cycling Normandy with two toddlers
“Are you mad?” We took two three-year-olds on a long-distance bike ride through Normandy – camping, cider country and the Véloscénic, for The Guardian.
How we made Kuoni’s 2026 travel trends report
Kuoni’s MD ended up on ITV News holding a report that started life as a spreadsheet. How I researched and wrote their 2026 travel trends report – and why rigour is the product.
Shipping a brand magazine to Manila
Somewhere on the South China Sea there was a container with my magazine in it. Making DiWA for Tao Philippines – 12,000 copies of a brand magazine, shipped to Manila, London, New York, Amsterdam and the UAE.
How to write an annual report twelve academics will sign off
An annual report has one author, whatever the contents page says. How I wrote Cambridge Zero's report for the University of Cambridge – twelve experts, one voice, and a change log.
Tour operator copywriting, in their voice not mine
Experience Travel Group wanted a booklet that didn't read like a brochure. Five creators, five ways to see Asia, all written in their voice not mine – now a finalist at the 2026 Silver Marketing Association Awards.
A mountain blessing for Sid
A hundred Igorot women, twenty sacrificed chickens and a witch doctor in yellow flip-flops. I took my baby son to the Philippines' Cordillera mountains to be blessed by his father's clan – my family piece for Condé Nast Traveller.
Siargao, the surf island on everyone’s lips
Everyone on Siargao tells you the same thing: you can never leave. My Citizen Femme piece on the Philippine surf island that gets under your skin – written across a month there with my baby son..
Cubao X, Manila’s coolest ungentrified corner
Behind the mall sprawl of the world's most crowded city, a horseshoe of old shoe showrooms turned record shops, camp Italian restaurants and opium-den bars. My Observer piece on Cubao X, the Manila corner gentrification hasn't found.
Surviving the summer holidays
Six weeks, endless snacks, a paddling pool filled on repeat. I wrote OcadoLife's summer holidays feature and asked four parents – including Louise Boyce and Stu Oakley – how they actually survive the school holidays.
Down and steamy in Tbilisi’s sulphur baths
Tbilisi is built on hot springs, and its domed sulphur baths have scrubbed travellers raw for centuries. My guide to the Abanotubani bathhouses for easyJet Traveller – the history, the domes and where to actually book.
The Istanbul shopkeeper who knows everything
Erkan Göker has kept a shop in Istanbul's Grand Bazaar for decades, and there's nothing about the city he doesn't know. On a 24-hour stopover he showed me his Istanbul, for easyJet Traveller's need-to-know guide to Türkiye.
Sleeping at Zannier Bai San Ho, Vietnam’s quietest luxury
Serious barefoot luxury on an undeveloped stretch of Vietnam's coast – but the best meal of the trip cost about three quid, on red plastic chairs. My review of Zannier Bai San Hô for Citizen Femme.
How to launch a magazine
I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again: I love magazines. They are an effective and engaging way to build a community and such a pleasure to work on. Editing and producing ROAM for Kuoni was my highlight of 2024. Here’s how I did it…
The most idyllic hotels in Bali
The magical Indonesian island of Bali has been enchanting travellers for decades – here are the best hotels to make the most of everything it has to offer
Amsterdam Canal Crawl
Not your most obvious way of getting around, paddleboarding is the latest water sport phenomenon to take over Amsterdam
Forget Thailand, this Philippines island is a true untamed paradise
Despite unprecedented growth, Palawan still offers plenty of pristine coastline to explore
Wild escape: Your own private island home
Wild beauty, splendid seclusion, cocooned by nature, your every wish fulfilled. In a hyper-paced, hyper-connected world, is a private island getaway the ideal coconut-enriched recipe for wellness? Storied may have found just the place…
What it’s like to raise a baby with one mum and TWO dads
When Ellie Fazan was 38, single and desperate for a child, she asked her gay best friend Eddie to be a sperm donor. But she didn’t expect his response: not only was he happy to help, he and his partner Jack wanted to be co-parents, too.
I had a baby with my gay best friend —and his partner
Ellie Fazan reached 40 single and feared she would never have a child — until she asked her friend Eddie if he would be a co-parent via IVF . The only problem? He lives in the Philippines and is in a relationship with Jack
Harnessing the power of spoken word
In an always-on, digital world, simple, verbal communication has a new-found purity and freshness that chimes with audiences.