Hi, I’m Simon. I’m a writer by profession and a self-confessed travel nerd by nature. I created Travel Granted as a way to blend those two worlds to make my passion my work and vice versa.
The spirit of adventure was apparent in me from a very young age. My parents tell me that even as a toddler I would always walk 100 yards ahead to see what was around the next corner. I’m still the same to this day!
I was lucky enough to grow up in the lush, rolling hills of North Wales, in the UK, in a tiny hamlet. My friends and I were always roaming the countryside in search of adventure.
We’d climb trees, build dens, skim stones by the river, scramble over hay bales and kick a football about from sunup to sundown. Exploring was fun and I definitely made the most of the freedom we had to explore our surroundings.
Camping trips with my dad, both on British shores and in France, presented brand-new horizons for my inquisitiveness. This was undoubtedly what sparked my love of backpacking; making your home where you’ve made your bed and being at one with nature.
When the language equation was thrown in for good measure I fell hard for the thrill of being totally out of your comfort zone but wanting to connect with people from other cultures.
After graduating from university with a degree in journalism, I took my first round the world trip at the age of 23. I set off with one of my best friends and his girlfriend at the time (bad idea but he insisted!) and headed for Tokyo – the first stop on a mammoth adventure that would take in virtually every corner of South East Asia, Australia, New Zealand and Fiji.
It was an epic experience. Rather than satisfying my curiosity though, it merely fanned the flames. It’s a big world out there and there’s so much to see!
You’d think after a year of travel I’d be ready to come home – but I wasn’t. I tore up my onward ticket and decided to spend a year living and working in Australia, immersing myself in Aussie life.
Having dabbled with solo travel during my Asian adventures (I told you, travelling with couples can be rough!), it felt right to go fully independent. I spent a deliriously happy year soaking up Sydney’s delights and working on an organic farm in the Adelaide Hills.
The plan was to return to Oz and apply for a second work visa with a view to settling Down Under. I went back home – via China, Canada and Iceland (never one to miss an opportunity!) – to save up some money and inevitably settled back into British life.
Lucky I did, because I met a girl. The only thing that was missing from my previous Big Trip was someone to share all the coolest moments with. Now I did and she was game for adventure.
So off we went. We bussed South America, from Colombia’s Caribbean coast to the southern expanses of Patagonia, then retraced Australia, New Zealand and Singapore before bolting on a month in India (just because!) and then finishing our year-long adventure in bustling Bangkok.
She passed the test with flying colours and we married several years later. Now, after years of working in PR, marketing, digital and copywriting, I’m ploughing my passion and skills into travel writing.
I hope you’ll join me for the ride!
Happy travels
travel granted 