✨ Welcome to our series, TravMedia's Travel Writer of the Week! ✨
Each week, we'll be shining a spotlight on one of the incredibly talented, passionate, and inspiring Journalists or Editors from our amazing community.
This week, we'd like to shine the spotlight on freelance travel writer - Matt Hampton.
We hope you enjoy - happy reading !!
Where are you based?
In the dullest area of South London, Forest Hill. And that's just how I like it. No distractions, apart from the roadworks on the South Circular. And, happily, no tube station (keeps the riff raff out).
What outlets do you write for? Who is your audience? What are your travel specialties?
Well, that's quite a question. Three in fact. I tried to broaden my horizons over the summer but failed spectacularly. So I write exclusively for The Times, The Telegraph and sometimes The Sun, when Lisa lets me (she's my old boss). I was at The Sun for five years, having started at Travel Weekly in – I kid you not – the late '90s, with bouts of freelancing in between. You'd never know it to look at me but I'm quite old. I've always liked outdoorsy stuff – cycling; skiing; swimming – so I suppose my specialty is being a middle-aged man, which is great; we're super popular at the moment. I do a bit of motoring stuff too: cars; motorcycles – you can see at bit of that on IG: @bahnfind. And I'm genuinely excited to be doing a piece for Travel Weekly in December – a review/round up of Spring Hotels in Tenerife. Back where I started, 30-odd years ago. That's progress for you.
Are you in-house or freelance (or both)?
I live in a house, from where I do all my writing and which I understand could be a bone of contention for younger writers.
What are your professional pet peeves?
All of them. Although I understand I'm probably quite a peeve myself. From a precious writer's perspective, if anyone changes the intro or outro on a piece I've worked hard on, I go ballistic. Inwardly of course as I'd probably never get any work again.
I've also been doing some deals round ups for The Times recently. I used the journalist alert on TravMedia (which is really handy as I'm getting back in the game right now), and the number I received with deals that had expired, or had the wrong URL for example was alarming! And of course I hate it when editors don't reply to emails – I'm really lucky that the Times team do actually get back to me; not everyone is as polite as that.
People who are late – just set out earlier! It's not that difficult. I'm never late myself.
And bucket lists; can't stand bucket lists. Oh, and fondue. Some time ago a collective of ski writers stood up against this molten horror and we still have to man the barricades from time to time. We're quite an elite crew.
In your past professional life you were …
I was a teacher until quite recently. I retrained during Covid as I wasn't getting much writing work for obvious reasons. I'd also been a journalist for 25 years by that point and was becoming quite frustrated with it, so I thought I'd try to something that could make a difference to people's lives. Sometimes I did, and I like to hope in a positive way.
Where would you like to return to?
The classroom, actually. If I could mix a bit of travel writing with some part-time teaching, that would be great.
What's on your bucket list?
See above.
Where do you travel for fun?
Fun? This isn't fun; it's a very serious profession – just ask the Guild of Travel Writers. Although if pushed, you can find me anywhere sunny, on the beach, with a beer in one hand and the latest Jilly Cooper in the other (although I think she died recently).
Your funniest (or most harrowing) travel story is …
Actually, there were a whole bunch of them in The Times last week – Nov 23 – my greatest mistakes in theme parks. Available in all good newsagents.
And like everyone, on group press trips – you know there's always that one odd writer…nothing's good enough for them, or there're always faffing around, or just plain weird – and if you can't spot them then it's probably you. We've all been there. I think I was 'the one' (just the once), on a trip with a bunch or tour operators. I was the only journalist. God, they were a pain in the backside. If you didn't know they were in travel, you'd have thought they'd never been further than the end of their street. I think one of them even lost their passport.
What advice would you give your younger professional self?
Retrain now, as a plumber. Or a long-distance lorry driver. Sounds funny but I'd love to drive one of those big trucks, like in Smokey and the Bandit. God, I bet those truckers have some stories to tell.
What nugget would you like to add that we haven't touched on?
Just that the incident with the Speedos was entirely the fault of Carly Reed (then Virgin Holidays PR). She told me it would be entirely fine to hop into the pool at TravMedia event at the Haymarket hotel. I should add that it was a different, more carefree time when that sort of thing was perfectly normal.
How best should people contact you?
If anyone is still minded to after this, it's matthew.hampton@mac.com.
