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AS A travel writer and editor, I have been to nearly 100 countries and lived for long spells in Yemen, Hong Kong and Northern Ireland.

After ten years working in Southern Africa, based in Swaziland and Mozambique during its civil war, I returned to London where I was Features Editor of Metro (the world’s largest free newspaper) for ten years.

Still based in London, I have been everywhere from Armenia to Zambia. I have, of course, spent the night in a hotel that turned out to be a brothel, as any travel writer has to once in their career. Fortunately, I am the author of the Rough Guide to Safer Travel.

I have a car, motorbike, racing and reindeer driving licence, as well as sailing and motorboating certificates.

I also run the Secret London website, www.secret-london.co.uk