I'm Alistair Smith, a travel writer based in Melbourne .

I’ve been a professional writer in one capacity or another since leaving school, from hard news stories, feature writing, columns, public relations, newsletters, travel writing, book author, and ghost writing of “life stories”.

Of all these, travel writing remains my passion, fired by the creative challenge required to not just inform but to inspire readers to share experiences of places, events, people, cultures, sounds and smells from diverse and unique destinations in Australia and around the world.

Over a period of 30 years, I’ve travelled the globe, visited all seven continents and more than 90 countries, and checked out the remotest corners of Australia (literally … once went to Peoppel Corner*). And I’ve written about most of them, for a diverse range of publications both consumer and trade.

This has seen me win multiple national awards for my travel writing, and led to me being chosen to judge other’s efforts as well.

Because of contractual obligations to a particular publisher, at one stage I was also writing under the pseudonyms of Scott Fraser or Moira Hamilton.

Publications

Age, Sydney Morning Herald, Melbourne Herald Sun and Sunday Herald Sun, Sun-Herald, Courier Mail, Sydney Daily Telegraph and Sunday Telegraph, Adelaide Advertiser, West Australian, New Zealand Herald, Senior Traveller, RoyalAuto, The Wanderer, Oryx, BTN Mice, ATX, Travel Bulletin, Age motoring, computer and finance sections, Get up and Go, Australia And NZ Magazine (UK), Cruise Passenger, Accor Traveller, MECC Insight, Agora, Unique Traveller,  Pathway, Lifestyle, Your Retirement.  Some you’ll know well, some you won’t have heard of. The list is not endless, but it does go on and on!

Awards 

On the award side, I’ve picked up the ASTW Travel Journalist of the Year (Trade/Industry) (twice), convention destination Travel Writer of the Year (New Caledonia), Best International Story, more than 1000 Words, and I’ve been runner-up in two others, and finalist or short listed multiple times. I was then selected to be a judge of ASTW Awards, including the prestigious main Travel Writer of the Year.

Professional Membership
I’ve been a member of the Australian Society of Travel Writers (ASTW) for more than 20 years, and I’ve been made an Honorary Member of Australian Journalists Association (Media Alliance) after a life-time of membership.

But wait, there’s more!

I hold a Diploma of Travel (International) which at that time would have entitled to set up shop as a licensed travel agent, but also gave me a great insight into the industry. 

I contributed a chapter to  Best Foot Forward (30 yrs of Australian Travel Writing) and a section in Trip of a Lifetime, the story of the Rocky Mountaineer.

Then, when freelance work was slack during an industry downturn, I penned The Eighth Day, an international thriller whose locations were based on some of my travel destinations.