Started out in journalism about 25 years ago, and have spent the past 11 years as a freelance. Most of my travel writing has been for the Independent, although I have written for the Daily Telegraph, New Statesman and the monthly francophone magazines (France, Living France, French Magazine), as well as The Traveller in France for Maison de la France. I have a thing for languages, as I don't like to visit somewhere and not know how to communicate. As a result I speak French, Serbian (cradle tongue), Italian and German. I'm working on Spanish in fits and starts. I apply the same diligence to a country's culture, food and wine.