Author: admin

Speaking on Saturday, June 7, 2025, we have:

• 1st: Ash Bhardwaj – Why We Travel.
• 2nd: Mary Fogarty – Sri Lankan voyages round my father.

---

1st: Ash Bhardwaj – Why We Travel

Join award-winning journalist, podcaster and broadcaster Ash Bhardwaj for a captivating talk inspired by his critically acclaimed book, Why We Travel, covering what makes a journey truly meaningful, and why do some trips fall flat? Ash shares lessons from his global adventures and bestselling book “Why We Travel”. Blending psychology, storytelling, and real-world experience—from trekking across Uganda to soldiering in Estonia — Ash reveals how understanding your motivation can transform travel, work, and life.

Ash has reported from 50+ countries for the BBC, The Telegraph, Guardian, and more—and brings unmatched insight to the intersection of culture, purpose, and exploration.

---

2nd: Mary Fogarty – Sri Lankan voyages round my father.

Returning to Sri Lanka in 2023 – for the first time since 1986, when she went to visit her father who was working in Colombo – Mary was surprised by how much the country began to affect her.

She arrived at 3 am and only discovered what lay outside her hotel window three hours later – a beach of golden sand and the glistening Indian Ocean. Soon she was off to see bears in the national park, followed by Buddhas, stupas, temples and sacred mountains. In Kandy, visits to the Temple of the Tooth and the Botanical Gardens began to bring back memories of being there with her parents – with more and more flooding back at the tea estates in Nuwara Eliya and then the wonderful fort area at Galle, back once more on the Indian Ocean.

The country slowly took its hold of her, and she went back again last year to explore more memories and discover new ground. Now, with another trip looming, Mary outlines just why and how the country means so much to her.

---

Date & Time: [meetingdate]

Doors open at 14:15 in London and on Zoom with the talks starting around 14:45 (London see Event Time Announcer for local times), please arrive before 14:45 and switch your phone to “do not disturb” or silent.

We would ask that anyone with respiratory symptoms participate via Zoom.

Admission costs:

• £7 for members. (Members can access a ticket code below or from the members area.)
• £10 for non-members. (save £3 if you join at this meeting)
• a recording to watch later will be available to members and non-member ticket holders.

Please sign up for meeting updates to get notifications for future meetings.

---

For in person Tickets at the hall:

For Zoom online tickets:

Speaking on Saturday, May 3rd, 2025, we have :

1st: Jo Bradshaw – Mountains of Patience – Climbing Everest and The 7 Summits. 

As the famous saying goes ‘All good things come to those who wait’ and this is particularly relevant to Jo and her 7 summits project. She will take you on a whistle stop tour to all 7 continents, from the jungle to the polar regions and everywhere in between whilst following in the footsteps of the first woman to climb all 7, Japanese mountaineer Junko Tabei. What makes each mountain so unique and why on earth did she take on this monumental project whilst raising funds and awareness for children’s mental health charity Place2Be.  

Find out more at these links:

• Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/_jobradshaw/
• Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/jobradshawadventurer/
• LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/jo-bradshaw-keynotespeaker/
• 7 summits web page – https://www.jobradshaw.co.uk/7-summits

---

2nd: Maria Hickey – Japan Unfolded: A Cultural Journey with Maria Hickey

Join Maria Hickey (aka Sakura) on Saturday 3rd May for a unique cultural experience through Japan!

Maria, a passionate photographer, will offer you an exclusive look at Japan, showcasing its beauty through her lens. From lesser-known festivals to ancient temples framed by delicate cherry blossoms (sakura), you’ll explore a side of Japan that few get to see.

Having spent approximately three years living and working in Japan with programmes like the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Programme, the Ship for World Youth Programme, Peace Boat and the GET Programme, Maria brings a wealth of authentic experiences. She’s even participated in the Queen Himiko contest!

As an avid artist with a love for crafting, Maria will also lead you in a hands-on demonstration of making an origami heart to take home. All you’ll need is a square piece of paper if you’d like to join in.

We encourage you to submit any questions for Maria in advance for the Q&A session.

• Facebook: sakura.154356
• Instagram: sakura_crafts_mh

---

Date & Time: [meetingdate]

Doors open at 14:15 in London and on Zoom with the talks starting around 14:45 (London see Event Time Announcer for local times), please arrive before 14:45 and switch your phone to “do not disturb” or silent.

We would ask that anyone with respiratory symptoms participate via Zoom.

Admission costs:

• £7 for members. (Members can access a ticket code below or from the members area.)
• £10 for non-members. (save £3 if you join at this meeting)
• a recording to watch later will be available to members and non-member ticket holders.

Please sign up for meeting updates to get notifications for future meetings.

---

For in person Tickets at the hall:

For Zoom online tickets:

Speaking on Saturday, September 6, 2025, we have :

1st: Russell Maddicks – El Salvador – Transformation of a Nation.

This tiny Central American country, known as the Pulgarcita de las Americas (Thumbelina of the Americas), has gone from being the most dangerous in the region to being the safest.

Travel writer and guidebook author Russell Maddicks explains why now is the time to visit and all the places you must not miss, including the volcanoes you should climb, the crater lakes you should bathe in, the quaint colonial coffee towns you should spend time in, and the Pacific beaches blessed with golden sands and warm shallow waves that await you.

He will also take you to the heart of San Salvador, the capital city that was once shunned by travellers due to its risky reputation but is now a delight to explore.

Russell Maddicks is a freelance journalist, travel writer, and guidebook author who focuses on Latin America and Spain.

A member of the British Guild of Travel Writers, he has spent the last 30 years exploring Latin America and has written guides to Cuba, Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico, Nicaragua and Venezuela.

He is currently researching and writing a series of articles about El Salvador, which he has visited extensively, witnessing firsthand the dramatic changes in the country’s security situation and honing his pupusa making skills to the point of near perfection.

Follow him on X and Instagram – @LatAmTravelist

2nd: Olivia McGregor – Guyana

Olivia travelled to one of the last biodiverse wildernesses on earth, commonly referred to as ‘The Lost World’ in Guyana. She spent a month living in an indigenous Makushi Amerindian village, as their first foreign visitor. She documented the profound changes that are radically altering their way of life in light of the transformation Guyana is undergoing. 

Guyana has been undergoing a transformation since the recent discovery of crude oil which has made it, by some accounts, the world’s fastest-growing economy. Olivia went to investigate the implications of this for the region’s unrivalled biological and cultural diversity, and specifically for Makushi people.

Since time immemorial Makushi people have been the caretakers of ‘The Lost World’ that has helped protect this vestige of the world’s biodiversity. Olivia went to find out whether that is changing in light of their changing ways of life. 

---

The talk Darran Rees – Love Letter to Romania has had to be postponed.

Date & Time: [meetingdate]

Doors open at 14:15 in London and on Zoom with the talks starting around 14:45 (London see Event Time Announcer for local times), please arrive before 14:45 and switch your phone to “do not disturb” or silent.

We would ask that anyone with respiratory symptoms participate via Zoom.

Admission costs:

• £7 for members. (Members can access a ticket code below or from the members area.)
• £10 for non-members. (save £3 if you join at this meeting)
• a recording to watch later will be available to members and non-member ticket holders.

Please sign up for meeting updates to get notifications for future meetings.

---

For in person Tickets at the hall:

For Zoom online tickets:

Speaking on Saturday, December 20, 2025, we have :

1st: Shafik Meghji – Small Earthquakes: A Journey Through Lost British History in South America

In his new book Small Earthquakes, award-winning travel writer and author Shafik Meghji uncovers the fascinating story of Britain’s forgotten connections with South America, from the Atacama Desert to Tierra del Fuego, Easter Island to South Georgia.

Focusing on Argentina, Chile and Uruguay, the book tells a tale of footballers and pirates, nitrate kings and wool barons, polar explorers and cowboys, missionaries and radical MPs.

From a ghost town in one of the world’s driest deserts to a far-flung ranch in the sub-polar tundra; rusting whaling stations in the South Atlantic to an isolated railway built by convicts; the southernmost city on the planet to a crumbling port known as the ‘Jewel of the Pacific’, Small Earthquakes brings to life the past, present and future of this remarkable continent.

‘Meghji has the true travel writer’s eye for the comic, pathetic and tragic, and for the places where they collide… This is writing full of rust, wind and sadness. It captures splendidly the air of South America and the long, withdrawing roar of an empire whose influence once reached far beyond its political borders.’ – The Times

‘Rekindles a sense of wonder and expands our idea of what travel can be… Combining the immediacy of a travel memoir with the depth of a scholarly history lesson.’ – BBC Travel

Shafik will be happy to sign copies of the book after his talk.

---

2nd: Justyna Hellebrand – Three trips to Paraguay.

Justyna will present her journey to Paraguay, a country often overlooked, this captivating nation is a hidden gem, offering a truly unique experience for those fascinated by rich biodiversity, or natural wonders such as the Monday Falls and Cerro Koi.

A country with the remarkable story of a Catholic bishop who ascended to the presidency, a traditional “sopa paraguaya” that’s actually not a soup but corn bread  and the origin of mate drinking,(not a beer with your mates 😉 a practice first discovered by the indigenous Guaraní people.

She’ll tell the story of a sticky situation (for not having an entry stamp in her passport!) and talk about 2 Christian communities –   Mennonites, who, originated from a region of Poland occupied by Prussia, have played a pivotal role in flourishing Paraguayan agriculture and the Bruderhof community, with whom Justyna has maintained a personal connection for over 40 years.

Expect the unexpected as we weave in a surprising mention of origami and the intriguing tale of how she met the “German Super Papa” – a man who adopted many children in Paraguay and faced a 30-month prison sentence. She’ll also talk about ñandutí lace and the enchanting melodies of the Paraguayan harp.

This talk will be an unforgettable adventure into the soul of Paraguay – a country waiting to be discovered!

---

Date & Time: [meetingdate]

Doors open at 14:15 in London and on Zoom with the talks starting around 14:45 (London see Event Time Announcer for local times), please arrive before 14:45 and switch your phone to “do not disturb” or silent.

We would ask that anyone with respiratory symptoms participate via Zoom.

Admission costs:

• £7 for members. (Members can access a ticket code below or from the members area.)
• £10 for non-members. (save £3 if you join at this meeting)
• a recording to watch later will be available to members and non-member ticket holders.

Please sign up for meeting updates to get notifications for future meetings.

---

For in person Tickets at the hall:

For Zoom online tickets:

Speaking on Saturday, July 5, 2025, we have :

1st: Stuart Bradford – Across Russia from Moscow to Kamchatka

Stuart Bradford lived and worked in Russia for over seven years, a period which was the inspiration for his book Caviar Vodka and Tears. He will share some of his travel experiences in this huge and varied country, from Moscow overland to Vladivostok, and also the magical and remote region of Kamchatka.

Find out more at:

•  trouspinettravels.com
• caviarvodkaandtears.com

---

2nd: Sophy Roberts – A Training School for Elephants

Sophy Roberts, author of ‘The Lost Pianos of Siberia’, will be talking about her latest Sunday Times bestselling book: ‘A Training School for Elephants’. Tracing a strange, 1879 journey made to Lake Tanganyika by four Indian elephants, her tale weaves history and modern travel writing in a fascinating journey that takes her to Congo, Tanzania, Belgium, India and Iraq. Sophy’s illustrated talk will feature both contemporary photography from her travels, as well as rare archive footage.

Find out more at:

• www.atrainingschoolforelephants.com
• www.lostpianosofsiberia.com
• www.sophyroberts.com
• Instagram – @sophy_roberts

---

The previously advertised talk by Laura Coffey – Enchanted Islands has had to be postponed until November.

---

Date & Time: [meetingdate]

Doors open at 14:15 in London and on Zoom with the talks starting around 14:45 (London see Event Time Announcer for local times), please arrive before 14:45 and switch your phone to “do not disturb” or silent.

We would ask that anyone with respiratory symptoms participate via Zoom.

Admission costs:

• £7 for members. (Members can access a ticket code below or from the members area.)
• £10 for non-members. (save £3 if you join at this meeting)
• a recording to watch later will be available to members and non-member ticket holders.

Please sign up for meeting updates to get notifications for future meetings.

---

For in person Tickets at the hall:

For Zoom online tickets:

On Saturday, November 8, 2025, we have :

AGM: The club AGM starts at 12:30 (card-carrying members only)

Speaking at 2.45 pm, we have: 

1st: Toral Dixit – Journeys Through the Lens: 30 Years of Global Discovery

With a 30-year career in filmmaking, documentary filmmaker Toral Dixit has journeyed to some of the most remote corners of the world—living among indigenous communities and excavating 2,000-year-old Mayan ruins deep in the jungles of Guatemala. She will share insights from these extraordinary experiences in her upcoming talk.  

---

---

Date & Time: [meetingdate]

Doors open at 14:15 in London and on Zoom with the talks starting around 14:45 (London see Event Time Announcer for local times), please arrive before 14:45 and switch your phone to “do not disturb” or silent.

We would ask that anyone with respiratory symptoms participate via Zoom.

Admission costs:

• £7 for members. (Members can access a ticket code below or from the members area.)
• £10 for non-members. (save £3 if you join at this meeting)
• a recording to watch later will be available to members and non-member ticket holders.

Please sign up for meeting updates to get notifications for future meetings.

---

For in person Tickets at the hall:

For Zoom online tickets: