Q. Where are you based? Melbourne, Australia

Q. What outlet do you write for? Who is your audience? What are your travel specialties? I'm a freelance writer and photographer for Australian, UK and US titles, including National Geographic, Travel + Leisure, The Age & Sydney Morning Herald's Traveller, and Herald Sun's Escape. My audience is well travelled and looking to go beyond the obvious, which is why I enjoy sniffing out stories with a twist. I also write about wildlife conservation and relish stories where the two topics overlap.  

Q. What are your professional pet peeves? Getting invited to events in Sydney when I live in Melbourne. It always seems like there's great events happening up north!

Q. In your past professional life, you were … A litigation lawyer, which is where I really honed my research, interview and writing skills. There's no better editor than a judge red lining your court submissions. 

Q. Where would you like to return to?  I once visited my grandmother's tiny village in northern Italy when I was 18 years old. Now as an older (and not much wiser) travel writer, I've been wanting to return and do a deep dive into the region's food and culture. 

Q. What's on your bucket list? I'd love to track tigers in Bandhavgarh National Park in India someday. 

Q. Where do you travel for fun? Growing up, my family would go up to the Sunshine Coast every year for holidays. Now with a young family of my own, I look forward to doing the same. 

Q. Your funniest (or most harrowing) travel story is … hard to choose! There's the time I slept on the floor outside Ho Chi Minh City airport to save $100. Driving through bushfires in Italy. Gate crashing a tribal wedding in mountainous Pakistan. My go-to gem is how I proposed to my wife in Iceland – everything went wrong but she still said yes!

Q. What advice would you give your younger professional self? You don't know what you don't know. Most people are happy to share their experiences, so ask someone you admire out for a coffee. Be genuine, ask questions and learn. 

Q. What nugget would you like to add that we haven't touched on? Travel writing is an open love triangle between writers, editors and marketers. Treat each other with respect and patience, and understand collaboration is key to making every story shine. 

Q. How best should people contact you? I often get direct messages on Instagram and LinkedIn but, amid the chaos of parenting young kids, they often get buried or forgotten about. Email is best.