Interview with travel story writer Dave Tomlinson

Travel story writer Dave Tomlinson is helping me kick off a new week. We’re talking about his collection, Around the World in 80 Tales.

Bio:

Dave Tomlinson is originally from beautiful New Zealand and now lives in Brisbane, Australia. His passion for travel, outdoor adventure and cultural understanding has seen him explore over 50 countries across 5 continents of the world. He’s used his love of travel to create a website and write two books. Travel Unravelled is a guide book for travelling the world on a budget and Around the World in 80 Tales is a collection of his experiences doing exactly that! For more information refer to the About Me and FAQ pages of the Step Ahead Travel website.

Welcome, Dave. Please tell us about your current release.

I describe Around the World in 80 Tales as ‘80 stories, 25 countries, 5 continents, one heck of a ride!’ It is a collection of true stories from my travels through 25 different countries. It's a fascinating journey that includes the amusing, amazing and even a little crazy. Collectively, the tales are captivating insights into travelling the world on a budget.

What inspired you to write this book?

For no other reason that I love writing, I had about 75 short stories written about my travels. I wasn’t sure what would become of them when one day the book title occurred to me. I then realised that I only had to write five more stories, add photographs and put it together. Before too long my book was complete and I’m able to share my adventures with the world.

Excerpt from Around the World in 80 Tales:

From the Introduction -

“My tales have been presented in no particular order. In fact, I have rearranged them from the sequence they were originally written in to make the book more exciting. From one page to the next you’ll be taken on adventures in exotic locations all over the world. Along the way, I’ll be sightseeing, hiking, camping, snorkelling, riding camels, meeting local people, avoiding crime, going to festivals, battling diarrhoea or simply trying to get from one place to the next.”

What exciting story are you working on next?

Around the World is actually my second book after previously completing the budget travel guide book Travel Unravelled. So for now I’m focusing more on my blogging and website. I recently became a writer for Huffington Post and also have a retrospective travel blog called Alluring Adventures. I’m also kept busy with doing travel product reviews for Amazon and updating my Step Ahead Travel website.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?

From the positive feedback I received from everyone on my travel email list. My aim with travel writing is to not only describe events with colour and passion but also make it a meaningful learning experience for the reader. So I love including historical and quirky facts about destinations that provide interest and intrigue and perhaps even inspire some wanderlust!

Do you write full-time? If so, what's your work day like? If not, what do you do other than write and how do you find time to write?

No, I don’t write full time. My life is a curious mix of working for three or four months followed by travelling for weeks or months at a time. It’s unconventional and some wonder how I can enjoy the uncertainty such a lifestyle creates. But I love the challenge and enjoy the sense of freedom so wouldn’t change anything!

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?

As it applies to this book, it’s the ability to relate each adventure in only 500 words. I don’t want readers getting lost in superfluous detail. These are travel adventures and I wanted my writing to be exciting and reflect the wonder of exotic destinations and unique cultural experiences.

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

I’m grateful that my parents never pressured my in I think the fact that I can’t definitively answer this question is one of the reasons I’ve been able to write this book! With a career and more conventional lifestyle, I’d have missed out on the extraordinary adventures I’ve written about.

Anything additional you want to share with the readers?

My primary reason for writing books and developing my website to to provide travel encouragement and inspiration. The world is a book and those who do not travel read only a page. I don’t want others to travel ‘one day’ or ‘some day’. I want them to feel excited and inspired to travel now!

Links:

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Amazon

Thanks for being here today, Dave!

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