About Me

Hi, I’m David. Welcome to my blog Around the World in 80 Daves (clever, eh?).

I must admit, as a youngster I never really had the travel bug. As friends were planning gap years after University I was mostly content to stay within the confines of the UK and rarely went anywhere more exotic than family holidays in Spain or the occasional lads’ weekend to Amsterdam. I did, however, have a fascination with Japan and always promised myself I would visit there one day. It was by chance that I mentioned this dream to a work colleague one day coupled with my disgruntlement in my current position. She informed me of a company in Tokyo that her daughter had worked for and promised to bring me details the next day. This she did and, within a matter of weeks, I had departed my job and was embarking on a new challenge in Japan. I lived in Kokubunji, Tokyo, for exactly six months before returning home after the bankruptcy of my employer (I shed no tears at their demise as they were a pretty dubious outfit).

It was during my time in Japan that I realised I wanted to look beyond the borders of the UK and see as much of the world as I possibly could. Circumstance dictated that I couldn’t embark immediately but I saved diligently and, at the age of 27, I set off on my first backpacking trip around Europe. Later that year I also did a road trip around the USA, covering some 3,000 miles and visiting a lot of major cities and interesting sights along the way. I might have started late but I intended to make the most of this new found wanderlust!

I’m in my early thirties now and have ticked a few more destinations off the bucket list (Cambodia, check; Chernobyl, check!). In the near future I plan on undertaking even more trips and recently started wondering, what if I started a blog to document these adventures? I’m what you might call a cautious traveller, and I have often perused blogs for information, advice and ideas before making a choice on the places I visit. Why not set up my own? Use it to jot down my thoughts and opinions to read back in later years and even offer some tips and advice of my own to anyone who might be interested? Why not indeed.

I’ve always enjoyed writing, even going as far as self-publishing three books that have actually done quite well. Writing a journal as I travel seems like a perfect way to wind down after an exhausting day and fill in those long boring hours travelling from country to country. If I can help someone decide on a destination themselves or inform them of places to see once they’ve booked their trip then more’s the better. I’m not one to pull any punches either so, if a place or activity doesn’t live up to expectations or fails to impress, you are guaranteed to get my honest opinion on what was lacking.

So there you go, that’s a little about me and why I decided to put my witterings onto the internet for all to see. I’m glad you made it here and hope you find my blog useful, interesting or educational! If you do, tell your friends about it!

Oh, one more thing before you go! I’m new to this blog malarkey so if you have any suggestions to improve the site, spot any errors that need fixing or have any questions about any of the posts herein, please don’t hesitate to pop me a message via the contact page or comment sections!