Hi, My name is Carl and i'm one of the team here at addictedtotravel.com. I started travelling back in 1986 when a 10 week stay on a kibbutz turned into a 15 month jaunt around the Middle East.A long overland journey from Australia back to the UK followed though had to skip Iran as they wouldn't give me a visa; flew to Istanbul from Karachi and took the train back east to Dogubeyazit and continued back home from there. Several years as a tour leader for one of the UK's largest adventure holiday tour operators followed, then into the office of a brand new adventure holiday operator where I was Product Manager for the Middle East and Asia for several years. I returned to the company where I worked as a leader as Product Manager for the Middle East for a couple of years before joining some old friends here in February.I live on a smallholding in Wales now having had a dream for a while to downshift. My wife and I have a few sheep, pigs and chooks - and Jasper, a Patterdale terrier.Travel remains a passion and i'm doing more now than I have for a while; I love the great outdoors (we live in Pembrokeshire Coast National Park so are spoiled) and we walk whenever time allows.
In my opinion you can't beat Asia - it's got everything the traveller wants from remote, well off the beaten track backroads brimming with tribal interest, great World Heritage sites like the Taj, Petra and Angkor, fabulous wildlife opportunities. Most remarkable trip for me was probably the Mentawi Island of Siberut back in 1988. 12 hrs west of Sumatra it was untouched by the west to any degree at all: think Bruce Parry's 'Tribe'. We trekked for days through calf-deep mud and slept in longhouses - what an experience. I met my wife in Oman and love the Middle East too. The Pyramids (is that Africa?) are just astounding and the Syrian people so warm and friendly.
Australia • Bulgaria • China • Cyprus • Ecuador • Egypt • England • France • Germany • Greece • Hong Kong • Iceland • India • Indonesia • Ireland • Isle of Man • Israel • Italy • Jersey • Jordan • Lebanon • Malta • Mongolia • Nepal • Netherlands • North Cyprus • Oman • Pakistan • Palestine • Poland • Scotland • Singapore • Spain • Sri Lanka • Syria • Thailand • Turkey • United Arab Emirates • Vietnam • Wales • Zambia • Zimbabwe
New Travel Specialist Ace the Himalaya joins us offering a few itineraies that are a little different. Operating throughout Nepal, Tibet and Bhutan they are predominantly known for their climbing and trekking holidays in Nepal, but also offer a range...
Adventure holidays to Vietnam have never been more popular with specialist operator Buffalo Tours reporting a steady growth in bookings over the last few years. This is unlikely to change even with the recession as there something special about to ta...
We are starting work on our travel guide to Iran and it has brought back some memories for me. I first tried to travel to Iran in 1989 when I was making a long 20 month overland journey from Australia back home to Blackpool. My then girlfriend and...
You wouldn't be alone if you've never heard of the Mercantour National Park. The France Travel Guide will tell you its tucked away in southeast France the park neighbours Provence but has a fraction of the visitors. This is a land of high mountain...
A look through the Egypt Travel Guide will show that we have a huge range of trips to meet just about all requirements. One trip, however really does stand out. Embah Safaris' 8-day "Desert Dweller" trip is an amazing exploration of the Sinai dese...
I travelled to the Westmann Island of Heimaey around 4 years ago. Whilst small and ostensibly with little to see even outside the 'puffin season' it was well worth the visit.The story of the erruption of 1963 is fascinating, the people friendly and there's clearly much to see and do in the summe...
Dusty and crowded, polluted and tired, there's no doubting Cairo has its downside, but you have to take things in the round.The Nile is a wonderful river and divides the city in two, with the west bank being predominantly residential. From Tahrir Square you can head to the Egyptian Museum for Tu...
Bangkok has long been tarnished with a reputation for bad traffic and pollution and sure, these are a feature of the city (you should have visited BEFORE the Skytrain!), however to judge it only on these to aspects is to miss the point.Bangkok is a capital city but with a little looking you can ...
greeting from aqaba and thank you for your email Warm regards ahmed