In the Spotlight: Ben Lerwill

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When and why did you join the Guild?

In 2010. I’d been mulling it over for a year or so and chatted to a handful of existing members, who made me think it would be of benefit. Freelancing can be a solitary business so it’s been useful to meet others in the same trade. Everyone seems quite strong-willed, which is almost definitely a good thing.

What's your earliest memory of travel?

A family camping holiday in the Vendée, after a drive which seemed to take all week. I remember pine trees, pains au chocolat and not much else, but it must have stirred my travelling genes.

What's your most bizarre memory of travel?

I covered the Shanghai football derby a few years ago for a UK magazine and my presence at the training ground somehow became a TV news item. It meant that at the game itself I found myself continually approached by groups of curious fans with cameras. That was quite odd.

Which is the place you haven't been to yet but would
most like to visit?

At the moment, Tasmania, Mongolia and Jordan. I’m partly reluctant to visit in case they’re not as wonderful as I imagine them to be. It’s been said before, but I think the more you travel, the more places there are you’re desperate to experience.

Where would you never want to go again?

I had a bad experience in Mahdia, Tunisia, although I don’t doubt that the town has its positive points. In Europe, Vaduz in Liechtenstein has pretty scenery but is almost certainly the least thrilling city I’ve set foot in.

If you could take a day trip back in time to any point in history, when and where would you visit?

I’m fascinated by the old Silk Road routes, so maybe somewhere like Samarkand or Kashgar 1500 years ago. The 1981 Ashes Test at Headingley would be nice too.

How did you get into travel writing?

I did a postgraduate course in magazine journalism about a decade ago. My first staff job was on a trade title that gave me lots of travel contacts, so when I turned freelance it was the natural area to focus on. Without that foot in the door, I think I’d still be wondering how on earth to get involved.

Most memorable hotel?

Anywhere with a good location, affable staff and hot tea at breakfast. I find it hard to fully relax in the kind of place that slaps a fifteen pound price tag on a room service sandwich – the mindset of fancy hotels can often leave me a bit baffled. I’ve stayed in some special places, but luxury for me is a book, a beer and a view, not someone insisting I can’t carry my own bag.

Everyone gets it wrong sometimes, so what's the biggest travel blunder you've ever made?

My wife and I once drove through central Queensland for four hours to attend a blues festival that had taken place the previous week. That was a fun argument.

Which travel destination has taken you most by surprise and why?

Most recently it would be Armenia. I met some fabulous people, encountered astonishing hospitality and spent days gawping at the landscape. It’s somewhere that has an absolutely extraordinary history.

If you had any advice to share with other travel writers what would it be?

Meet deadlines, write to length and don’t attempt light-hearted banter with members of the Russian military.

A favourite travel book to pass the journey?

I’m taking three. Jenny Diski’s Stranger On A Train, Dervla Murphy’s Full Tilt and Terry Darlington’s Narrow Dog To Carcassonne. See you there.