After a science degree, an abandoned PhD, some voluntary work in Peru and four years in Bristol working in a fair-trade co-operative, selling crafts and music from around the world, I moved to Solomon Islands in the South Pacific where I lived for five years.

In between learning to scuba dive and paddle dugout canoes, I worked on community ecotourism with WWF and other NGOs. One village tourism project was shortlisted for a Tourism for Tomorrow award.

I moved to London and combined my interests and experience in photography, writing, travel and development into the perfect job – contributing stories and pictures to newspapers and magazines, mostly on travel, especially ecotourism and pro-poor tourism. In the early days, I made the South Pacific my specialist area. I was pleased to win a couple of awards – one for photography, one for writing.

I contribute to Financial Times, Conde Nast Traveller, The Ecologist and others. Until a few years ago I persuaded myself that the benefit of tourism to local communities and protected areas outweighs the environmental damage from flying but as evidence mounts and climate change wreaks havoc faster than predicted, I’m not so sure. I rarely fly these days and prefer to write on travel closer to home. I now live on a narrowboat, continuously cruising the 2,000 miles of waterways of England and Wales. I’ve chosen to forsake the jet-set lifestyle for one at 4mph.

Some of my writing nowadays is on green initiatives other than ecotourism and responsible travel. Having gained an interest in traditional architecture from around the world, I also write on green architecture and green living, from the vernacular to the high-tech.