I’m from Sheffield, in northern England, which keen listeners will hear in my flat vowels. I spent four years studying English Literature and History at the University of Edinburgh, an experience that taught me – amongst other things – how to battle through horizontal rain and swear like a Scot (often simultaneously). I’ve since lived in Melbourne, Sydney, London, Cape Town and Mauritius.
Travel
My first big adventure was spending three months in Ecuador when I was 18, having been inspired by geography lessons (yes, inspired by geography lessons) about the Amazon jungle. The trip – which was my first time on a flight and my first time outside western Europe – genuinely shaped my future. Since then, I’ve backpacked around the world and – perhaps unsurprisingly – ended up working in the travel industry before I turned to journalism.
Work
During university and immediately after graduating, I gained some journalism work experience in Trivandrum, India, completed two internships with the BBC in Manchester and London, and interned at a financial magazine in Sydney. In London, I freelanced for broadcasters, travel companies and media outlets for a couple of years before eventually settling into a permanent job, managing the content and marketing team at a luxury travel company. There I won my first writing awards and was selected as one of TTG Media’s 30 under 30 travel leaders of the future in 2015. I also founded and edited the company’s print magazine, The Explorer.
I now work as a freelance journalist, writer and editor. I cover stories about the environment, conservation, science, travel, the outdoors and culture. I’m currently based mostly in the UK and South Africa.
I can be contacted for any commissions, projects or just to chat here.
Heather Richardson 