About The Travel Dude

From Singapore to Somewhere New

Kia ora! I’m Mark, better known as The Travel Dude. Born in Singapore, raised in the UK and now calling New Zealand home, I’ve spent much of my life discovering what lies beyond the next bend in the road.

Mark, The Travel Dude, standing at the Padang cricket ground in Singapore, with the historic Singapore National Gallery in the background.
Back where it all began. The Padang, Singapore, where Mum once brought me as a baby to watch Dad play cricket. A few years have passed since then.

Writing about myself has never come quite as naturally as writing about the places I’ve been. But every traveller has a story, and mine began long before The Travel Dude had a name!

Singapore, UK and a New Life in New Zealand

My story begins in Singapore, where I was born while my father was serving with the British Royal Marines Commando. As an infant, Mum would take me to the Padang to watch Dad play cricket. Years later, I returned to the same ground – although this time I was old enough to appreciate the occasion, if not necessarily the cricket.

The UK was where I grew up, surrounded by friends, sport and the ordinary adventures of childhood. Travel hadn’t yet become the great passion of my life.

Mark, Karen, Rhys and Cerys enjoying Christmas morning together on a New Zealand beach, with beach tennis rackets in hand.
Christmas mornings were always a competitive affair in our family, with beach tennis a particular favourite. Rhys and Cerys have now flown the nest and become seasoned travellers in their own right. These days, getting us all together is perhaps the biggest challenge of all!

In 2001, I made another significant move, this time to Auckland, New Zealand. It’s been home ever since, although I’ve never quite lost the urge to see what’s happening elsewhere.

Seven Friends, One VW Golf and a Ticket to Spain

At some point, I decided that my VW Golf was worth more to me as a plane ticket than as a car. So I sold it and headed to Spain with six friends. We called ourselves the Magnificent Seven. Modesty clearly wasn’t our strongest quality.

I couldn’t have known it then, but that trip would change the way I looked at the world. One adventure led to another, and before long, travel had become something I couldn’t imagine living without.

What has stayed with me isn’t simply where I’ve been, but the people I’ve met, the unexpected detours and those wonderful moments when a day turns out nothing like the one I’d planned.

How The Travel Dude Came to Life

The Travel Dude began as a simple way to record my new adventures around New Zealand and Australia. Somewhere along the way, those notes became stories, and the stories became a travel blog.

Mark, The Travel Dude, standing beside an Asian elephant with one hand resting on its trunk.
Some travel companions are harder to forget than others.

Today, it’s where I share the places, people and experiences that have made travelling such a rewarding part of my life. The beautiful, the unexpected and, occasionally, the downright ridiculous all have their place.

A Few Places, A Thousand Stories

Travel has taken me from a tiny Cessna above New Zealand’s mountains to the ancient ghats of Varanasi, where life along the Ganges unfolds to a rhythm entirely its owns.

I’ve snorkelled the Great Barrier Reef, explored ancient ruins in Mexico and cruised along Queensland’s crocodile infested rivers – where swimming was never particularly appealing!

The Taj Mahal and Jaipur’s Pink City have given me memories to treasure, but some of the best travel moments have come from places and encounters I never expected to find.

Mark, The Travel Dude, smiling with four fellow revellers, their faces and clothes covered in colourful Holi powder during celebrations in Jaipur, India.
Holi in Jaipur. Four kids I’ve watched grow up, one Kiwi and our annual India versus New Zealand water fight. The result? Everyone loses. Especially the laundry.

There’s still plenty of the world I haven’t seen, and no shortage of places I’d happily return to. Where next? That’s part of the fun. I’ve learnt that the best journeys don’t always follow the original plan.

Come Along for the Journey

If you enjoy wandering through unfamiliar streets, discovering local food, meeting interesting people or simply seeing where the road takes you, you’ll feel at home here.

Fun Travel Stats

  • Travel plans: Carefully prepared. Frequently ignored.
  • Flights taken: Too many to count. Not enough upgrades.
  • Wrong turns: Several. Some turned out better than the original destination.

There are plenty more stories to come. Some carefully planned. Others, knowing me, probably not. See you on the road! ~ Mark, The Travel Dude.