8.5 Questions | Meet Daniel Neilson

Meet Daniel Neilson; a freelance writer & photographer, and the acting editor of The Great Outdoors (TGO) Magazine. Daniel has ventured far and wide, from the Bolivian Andes to the glassy lakes of Canada.

Check out our 8 1/2 half travel questions to find out more about Daniel, his most treasured travel items and why he doesn’t have to travel far to find his favourite beer…

Would you please introduce yourself?

My name is Daniel Neilson and I’m the acting editor of The Great Outdoors (TGO) Magazine, a hillwalking and mountaineering publication. I have also edited a dozen guidebooks for Time Out (including Istanbul, Costa Rica, Scandinavia and Buenos Aires). I have also contributed words and pictures to magazines including CNN Traveller, Four Four Two, ABTA Magazine, Air Canada’s En Route, Total Politics and The Wire.

What is your most treasured item that you have bought/collected whilst travelling?What is your most treasured item that you have bought/collected whilst travelling?

I have a collection of mate tea gourds from the five years I spent in Buenos Aires, but the items I’d be most upset if I lost would be an Alpaca hat bought from an old lady on a remote trek in the Bolivian Andes. Every time I look at it, it makes me think of that crazy journey.

What has been your favourite travel experience so far and why?

It would have to be a week-long canoe trip to Algonquin Park in Canada with my wife. We spent six blissful days sploshing through mirror-flat lakes, cooking over camp fires and skinny dipping. No phones, no internet, no people. Perfect.

… and your least favourite?

I’ve been in a few sticky situations such as being chased by a mean-looking bloke in Accra, Ghana, getting lost in Romania, and nearly being hit by a falling boulder in Bolivia, but they all make great stories, so I’m not that bothered really. I went to a wedding in Kilmarnock and tried to make a holiday around it – that was rubbish.

What are your top 3 must-pack items to travel with?

I lose everything and travel light anyway, but always good headphones and some kind of iDevice, a book (usually related to where I’m going) and a Leatherman (with corkscrew) if I’m taking check on.

Who would be your ideal travel companion?

My wife is outdoorsy and not phased by anything – always good in a dodgy situation. We travelled around South America for six months and had a great time. I travel a bit with my friend Ben who is also a travel writer and he always makes the extra effort to see stuff.

If money was no object, where would you go next and why?

Japan is always on the list, and the US is fascinating me at the moment. I’d love to do some epic backcountry trekking there in Washington state and Colorado. A good old fashioned road trip would be fun too.

What do you miss most from home while you are away?

Very little actually, but I do miss being able to cook for myself all the time when I’m travelling.

What is your favourite beer from around the world?

Dark Star’s Hophead from Brighton (20 miles down the road from where I live). It’s an amazing beer – England makes the best beer. I probably miss this most when I’m away actually.