Words About Travel

VOURNEEN TAYLOR

I am a freelance travel writer (view portfolio), Dubliner, idea generator, traveller, marketing professional and ultimate travel nerd. My published articles on my global adventures have appeared in national publications such as the Irish Times, Backpacker Magazine, and online at NileGuide, Travel Intelligence and state.ie. I have also appeared on primetime Irish radio on The John Murray Show on RTE Radio 1.

Over 7 years’ experience in the tourism and travel industry enabled me to work for national tourism boards, leading tourist attractions and tour operators. During this time I edited a national tourism publication, created copy for various websites, newsletters, brochures and marketing material. I am also a member of the International Travel Writers Alliance and National Union of Journalists (NUJ).

Tales of travel flowed through my childhood from family and friends. It mixed with various travel books and documentaries (such as Michael Palin’s 80 Days Around the World) to ignite my passion from early on. Even when temporarily settled I enjoy going through the most inane piece of travel information to create detailed travel itineraries for fun.

When the ‘itch’ gets too strong I have been known to rearrange the furniture in an attempt to change my environment in some way. It’s usually a sign to start packing the backpack and contacting the utility companies. My boyfriend and I have packed up our lives twice in favour of long term travel around South East Asia. Currently we are based in Melbourne, Australia after meandering through Amsterdam, Germany, Thailand, China, Laos and Malaysia on our last travel stint. We are not sure where we are headed next but are open to suggestions.

PLACES I HAVE VISITED

At last count I have travelled to over 120 destination in 27 countries and lived in London, Prague, Amsterdam, Melbourne as well as my home town of Dublin. Most travellers have different rules about what they count as a country visited. For some if you step off the plane you count it, for others a number of hours have to be spent in the destination. I count any destination where I have spent at least one night. I prefer if I can to travel slowly. This is represented in the ratio of destinations visited to countries. Ideally I like to spend at least a couple of months to 1 month or more. This enables me to dig deeper and get under the skin of a place and share experiences with the people there.

PUBLICATIONS & APPEARANCES

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