In the Spotlight: Laura Dixon

What's your earliest memory of travel?

A holiday in Paris when I was about four or five, with my family. I stubbornly decided that all I would eat was strawberry jam, and found it was really nice on French bread.

What's your most bizarre memory of travel?

Swimming in a hot pool in a remote area of Iceland and realising that all the foreigners had swimming costumes on, but all the natives were naked.

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

South America – OK, I know, it’s a continent, not a place. But I’m in love with the idea of the Amazon and haven’t yet decided exactly how to tackle it.

Where would you never want to go again?

Italy. Sorry to write the whole country off, but I’ve never had a good time there. I’ll leave it to the fans – and I know there are a few…

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

I’d love to go back to the time of the great explorers, when nothing was mapped and everything was an adventure.

What's the best travel advice you've ever been given?

Expect everything to go wrong. That way, when it does, it doesn’t spoil your trip! High expectations can ruin everything and stop you from enjoying your travels.

How did you get involved in travel writing?

I met someone who knew someone who commissioned books at Footprint Handbooks, approached them and just lucked out really. I was 21 and had just finished a journalism course and everything fell into place. I got a commission to write a book almost immediately.

Favourite museum or gallery?

I love modern sculpture. There’s a fab sculpture park on the outskirts of Antwerp called Middelheim, with polar bears and strange shapes lurking in the forest; and the Hakone Open Air Museum is a fantastic celebration of world sculpture in Japan’s Hakone National Park near Mount Fuji. I also like The New Art Centre, near Salisbury. The grounds are stunning and they’re the sole representative of Barbara Hepworth’s estate. I go about once a year.

Most memorable hotel?

I review hotels for i-escape.com so there have been a few! I think their tented safari camp in Sri Lanka’s largest leopard reserve will take a lot of beating though – amazing food, great hosts and stunning scenery. Seeing crocodile eyes glow in the dark before going to bed, and watching monkeys play in the trees at breakfast time made it really special.

When and why did you join the Guild?

I joined this year – it’s been an ambition for a while. I wanted to feel part of a group of people operating at the highest level in my field.

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

There have been a few...I thought I’d wing it last year on a kite surfing/horse riding holiday. I don’t ride at all but I might have said I could. Then, when I got there, surrounded by Horse and Hound journos...well you can imagine. The kite surfing was great though.

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

I went to Berlin for the third time this year and still love it. It’s a great city and doesn’t feel like it’s given in to touristy tackiness. I really appreciated that. On the other end of the scale, I went surfing in Morocco last December and I was shocked at how undeveloped it is. It really made me appreciate the more tourist-friendly spots.

If you had one tip to share with other travel writers what would it be?

Don’t forget the readers. The worst travel writing I’ve read – usually by non-travel specialists – is all about them. The best remembers that readers don’t want to read ‘here’s what I dun on my holidays’ – they want a little bit of magic.