I live in Cambridge (UK) and have been writing guidebooks since 1991 - first on hiking in Eastern Europe and then Latin America, and then more general guides (for Bradt Travel Guides and Rough Guides) to the same parts of the world, as well as Alaska! I studied French Language and Literature at Oxford University, so have been able to pick up Latin languages (especially Spanish and Romanian) fairly easily; I had a brief career in publishing before jumping the fence to be a writer. I also spend summers in the Alps, leading hiking groups for Wilderness Travel, one of the leading upmarket American adventure travel companies. I strongly believe that travel is a force for good in this troubled world, but struggle to reconcile this with its environmental effects, especially the effects of flying on the world's climate. I travel overland where possible (trains in Europe, buses in South America) and cycle at home - but there's no avoiding some intercontinental flights, unpleasant though they are.