I was surprisingly much calmer about going to Portugal in November 2012. Having travelled to European countries such as Spain and Italy in previous years, I was often stopped by border control and quizzed about my journey. Where are you going? Why are you going there? I readily accept the need for tight security for…

I have spent the last 5 years travelling from exotic far-east destinations to cold European countries, participating in book fairs and more recently, I have been involved in European projects. I’ve met some truly inspirational people as well as good old fashioned traditionalists. I’ve had great adventures and some close shaves! Men think I should…