Ask someone about their trip to China, and they’re more likely to tell you how they couldn’t get out of bed because of a bout of gastro than say, “The Great Wall really was great.” The stunning beauty of the Taj Mahal? No! “My taxi ran out of petrol in a grotty back street on the way there.”

In his decades as a travel writer, Alistair Smith has “been there, done that.” So now, instead of writing “inspirational” travel stories about destinations people might dream of visiting, he is ready, like everyone else, to share other tales from his time on the road:

Guides who get lost, brushes with death, weird travel companions, rip-offs and scams, jet lag, lost luggage, clashes at border crossings, pickpockets, disgusting toilets, riots and bombs. And he admits there could have been times when there’s a faint possibility that alcohol consumption may have clouded his judgement. The things people really want to hear about when you talk travel.

And, yes, of course it all really happened!