After completing a BSc at Bournemouth University, focusing on ecotourism, I followed my love of nature and passion for travel and became a wildlife guide on a French campsite in the Cevennes. After two seasons I decided I needed more adventure and so moved to South America, where I traveled extensively, eventually finding a wildlife guiding role living in a tent in the Peruvian Amazon for six months. With the travel bug fully caught I then became an overland driver. This involved driving large, self-sufficient 4x4 trucks for up to 20 passengers with tents and cooking equipment, all over the world: from Istanbul to Cape Town, or the southernmost tip of India, back to the UK.
During this time I never lost my love of wildlife or the beauty of Latin America and have been lucky enough to revisit Peru, Costa Rica, Guatemala and Belize through research trips with Audley.
I have extended my knowledge further afield with trips to both Antarctica, the Arctic in Svalbard and deep into the Arctic Circle, realising my dream to visit all seven continents. I was also thrilled to recently visit the Galapagos, Patagonia and Easter Island on a comprehensive trip that now allows me to advise Audley clients on the most recent developments in these countries too.
Q&A with Nik
Your best piece of travel advice?
Think big thoughts but relish small pleasures…. (And pack talc).
What’s the best local dish you’ve tasted?
Twice cooked pork in Sichuan province. They boil the pork belly with herbs and spices and then slice it thinly and add to a stir fry with zingy Sichuan peppers, black beans and spring onions. I loved it so much I even learned how to say it in Chinese.
Where would you love to travel next?
I’d love to visit Madagascar. My passion for wildlife means that this Island with all its endemic species is a must see. It’s really captured my imagination, and it still feels off the beaten path.