Q. Where are you based? Newcastle, NSW

Q. What outlet do you write for? Who is your audience? What are your travel specialties? Explore in the ACM publications, The New Daily, Mindfood, The Newcastle Herald. 12 years as a regular contributor to Traveller (2007-2018). My audience is broad but anybody discerning and adventurous that likes storytelling, humour and passion in travel pieces. Specialties: Adventure (hiking, biking, diving and road tripping), Luxury travel (particularly the world's best hotels and food), Family travel (with my teenage daughters) and Wellness (yoga, spas). 

Q. What are your professional pet peeves?  The constant use of cliches like “hidden gem”, “unique”, “stunning” and “breathtaking” throughout travel writing. 

Q. In your past professional life, you were … I began my career as a successful playwright and returned to that in a recent break from travel writing, with two plays produced in Newcastle.

Q. Where would you like to return to? Iceland, Sri Lanka, Namibia

Q. What's on your bucket list? The Galapagos, Chile and Nicaragua

Q. Where do you travel for fun? I find everywhere I go fun, even if it is for work

Q. Your funniest (or most harrowing) travel story is … Funniest stories usually involve when famils (or those on them) go off the wheels but can't be repeated here. Most harrowing was either coming face to face with two angry 4.5m Great White sharks, off South Australia, or narrowly avoiding plummeting down a sheer 2400m Corsican rock face.

Q. What advice would you give your younger professional self? Drink less, write more

Q. What nugget would you like to add that we haven't touched on? People love well-told stories that transport them to a destination at the writer's shoulder.  Do that and that's half the battle as a travel writer.  

Q. How best should people contact you? After a few years out of travel writing I am back, hungrier and stronger than ever.  I'm at danscott26@gmail.com or on +61 424 290394.