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In the Spotlight: CLAIRE SCOBIE
 What’s your earliest memory of travel?Endless summer holidays in villages in the Torrelevega district in northern Spain. Our family would go every summer with friends and rent a dusty rambling house with a cheery Spanish lady called Marie-Jose as the caretaker. She made the best Spanish omelettes I’ve ever tasted. While the adults had leisurely lunches, the kids were left to explore and play pinball and drink vast quantities of Orangina. My other memory is at the age of nine singing a Christmas carol in a deserted amphitheatre in Aspendos in Antayla, Turkey. Built in the 2nd century BC it was said to have perfect acoustics and my tuneless rendition of Good King Wenceslas proved that to be true. Apart from our family, there was only one old man and some crows for company.
What’s your most bizarre memory of travel?
Dining with a Tibetan policeman while under arrest in Bayi in southeast Tibet. He had illusions of emigrating to New York and told me his favourite book was Pride and Prejudice and his favourite film was The Godfather. After a huge feast he politely took us back to a seedy hotel and told us to report to the station the following morning for further questioning. Our group was released after five days.
Which is the place you haven’t been to yet but would most like to visit?
Angkor Wat, Cambodia.
Where would you never want to go again?
Saga in Tibet.
If you could take a day trip back in time to any point in history, when and where would you visit?
I’d like to travel back to 1010, to the inauguration of the Sri Brihadishwara Temple in Thanjavur in Tamil Nadu. Built by the Cholan Emperor Raja Raja, this extraordinary monument had over 400 dancing girls, together with scores of musicians, record-keepers and priests attached to it. I would love to have seen it in all its pomp and splendour.
What’s the best travel advice you’ve ever been given?
Always keep checking how many bags you have.
How did you get involved in travel writing?
After working at the Telegraph Magazine for three years, I was invited to join a trip to Tibet in search of a rare red lily. I had always wanted to live in India, so in 1997 I quit my job and joined the botanists in search of the lily – we found it eventually – and then worked as a freelance journalist from India sending stories back to the UK. It’s been a way of life ever since.
Favourite museum or gallery?
Musée d’Orsay.
Most memorable hotel?
Daintree Eco Lodge and Spa in Queensland for the combination of the rainforest location, indigenous experience and luscious pampering; Pera Palace in Istanbul for old world charm; Nomads of the Seas cruise in Patagonia for James Bond-style ‘water toys’.
When and why did you join the Guild?
I joined in November 2008. Travel writing can be a solitary business and I wanted to have the opportunity to connect with other writers.
How has the Guild been most helpful?
I like reading the Globetrotter and Members’ News to find out what other members are doing and keep up to date with industry news. I enjoy the sense of community, albeit a virtual one as I’m based in Sydney. I look forward to meeting members and coming to events when I am back in the UK.
Everyone gets it wrong sometimes, so what’s the biggest travel blunder you’ve ever made?
Embarrassingly, mine was very recent… Last year my husband and I had a trip to Sri Lanka and India organised. It was a special family reunion and had been months in the planning. Less than two weeks from departure I realised that I couldn’t get my Indian visa because I only had one free page left in my British passport. Two clear pages are required. Despite all my efforts and frantic phone calls to the Indian Visa Office and the British High Commission in Canberra, it was clear that there was no other option but to fly from Sydney to London to get my UK passport renewed in their 24-hour service. I ended up having a surprise weekend in London and spent many hours in transit in Hong Kong airport, where I rejoined my husband for our holiday. I then had to get my Indian visa in Colombo. All in all it was an expensive and time-consuming mistake.
If you had one tip to share with other travel writers what would it be?
I teach travel writing workshops to aspiring travel writers and always tell them to get used to rejection and be persistent. Oh, and don’t start your story at the airport.
A favourite travel book to pass the journey?
Chasing the Monsoon by Alexander Frater.
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