Tamara Thiessen

Journalist, author, and photographer, I am an incurable traveler. Born with a travel itch on an island at the end of the world, the challenge of escaping Tasmania to discover the world has shaped my life ... But Tasmania, with its otherworldly nature and island solitude, pulls on my heartstrings too. Constantly. I have learned to ignore it ... otherwise, I will return home to my burrow permanently and not travel again.

After several years as a TV and radio reporter in Australia, I found the perfect antidote to this paradox – embarking on a freelance (and footloose) career as a travel writer and foreign correspondent. Based between Australia and France, my stories as a foreign correspondent and travel writer have been published in newspapers and magazines worldwide – from The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald, South China Post, Monocle, and the Globe and Mail to National Geographic Traveller, World Nomads, Islands, Conde Nast Traveller, Wanderlust, and Decanter.

I am a strange creature, combining in equal doses travel writing with breaking news. As a news journalist, I’m interested in politics, social issues, and the environment. As a traveller, that hard-to-put-your-finger-on thrill of exotic places and people that carry you far away from mundane existence ... whatever that is. You know, going for a walk can take you to that place. But, hey, let's not underrate the excitement of far-off horizons. Through a Covid-stationary couple of years, I attracted a million views a month to my Forbes contributor page by writing about the fallout of the pandemic on travelers worldwide, particularly the border closures in Europe, the US, and Australia.

While I am happy to have my little Parisian pied-à-terre, much of my writing life has been (and still is) spent on the road, living out of a suitcase – my most recognizable landmark! Like a short-tailed shearwater (a Tasmanian muttonbird), I migrate between my southern and northern hemisphere bases about once a year, taking in as many amazing places as possible en route. To slow the journey (and the "Tyranny of Distance"!) down a bit. An islomaniac, Borneo is my island of preference – one I have written about a lot, and a regular midway (ish) stopover. Like Tasmania, it is wild and beautiful – but menaced.

Most of my writing is an invitation (if not an invocation) to roam. Despite the ills of overtourism, it is hard not to encourage people to see the world. It is the best of life's investments ... The world is your oyster, devour it, I say! In my travels, I do not consider myself primarily a tourist. I am a wanderer, seeking the kind of cultural enrichment that comes only with distance and difference ... and stepping off the beaten path. The people you encounter are as important as the place. In the words of French philosopher Montaigne, we must "Whet and sharpen our wits by rubbing them up on those of others."

These days, I continue to spend most of my time writing on travel, history, and culture, fueled by a passion for crossing cultures and dabbing my nib in new horizons. My stories on travel, culture, and adventure appear in magazines worldwide. My news stories, features, and analysis have been published in The South China Morning Post, The Singapore Straits Times, The Globe and Mail, The Montreal Gazette, Monocle, The Age, The Australian, and The Sydney Morning Herald. An avid broadcaster, I continue to contribute to several radio programs and have been a radio presenter and producer in Paris. I love how you can learn so much about history, world politics, the arts, and science in the space of several hours listening to radio shows, and in such a personal and up-close way.

As you can see, I am the author of several books, mostly travel and cultural guides, or illustrated books. The Borneo Bradt Travel Guide is a doorstop ... and will soon go to the 5th edition. Which is wonderful, but scary, as it makes me realize my age! Jokes aside, writing is in my DNA, and I hammer away at my keyboard pretty much nonstop by compulsion, between (and during) the travels.

Currently, I am endeavoring to get a major tome on Tasmania – a narrative nonfiction about my far-flung island home – published. So, watch this space! Meanwhile, please get in touch with me via my website, my Instagram account, and my Facebook page. For all of them, I use the social media handle @TamaraThiessenTravels.

By the way, and totally unimportantly, I have a degree in journalism from Canberra University and a master's degree in European Journalism from the University of Strasbourg. I look forward to interacting with you soon, dear readers. Safe travels and bon voyage, Tamara.