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Lara Dunston
Impressions of her first flight, age four, from Sydney to Perth, involving much pampering, coloring pencils and 'Junior Jetsetter' status, led to Lara's love of flying. Dramatic tales of world war two adventures at her Russian grandparents' dinner table further fueled her imagination and desire to travel, as did the vodka and folk music.
Although not initially excited about being dragged around Australia by her parents in a caravan for five years, eleven-year-old Lara began plotting their journeys in her Jacaranda Junior World Atlas by torchlight from the top bunk. Tasked with selecting caravan parks to stay at (swimming pool and BBQ facilities essential!), Lara developed the perspicacity she now brings to her role as travel writer.
Lara has travelled for most of her life (60 countries on all continents at last count), managing to divide her career between travel, film, teaching and writing. A compulsive learner with degrees in film, communications, screenwriting, and international studies (specializing in Latin America and Spanish), Lara's master's research on Latin American cinema took her all over South America following an itinerary determined by film festivals.
Making her first film in 1986, Lara's has linked travel to cinema, filmmaking and screen education ever since. Her feature film Come By Chance (made with husband/creative partner Terry Carter) was a road movie, while a research project she developed, Mobility and the Moving Image, explored the connections between film and travel. The opportunity to teach film to young Emirati women took Lara to the United Arab Emirates in 1998, enabling frequent travel around the Middle East and Europe, leading the couple back to travel writing.
Lara wrote her first travel guide, The Sydneyside Guide, for Universal Press in 1997. In addition to a long list of Lonely Planet titles (Syria & Lebanon; Dubai; Dubai Encounter; Best of Dubai; Best of Amsterdam; Best of Brussels Bruges Antwerp & Ghent; Best of Lisbon; Best of Milan; Buenos Aires Encounter; chapters on 'Expats' & the UAE for Oman UAE and Arabian Peninsula, and Greece for Western Europe, Europe on a Shoestring, and Mediterranean Europe; along with a special feature on Latin American Cinema for South America) Lara's writing has been published in National Geographic Traveller, The Independent, Lifestyle+Travel, Paperplane, and USA Today, among other publications. Lara and Terry write the travel blog Grantourismo and wrote a blog about their research in Greece.
In January 2006 Lara and Terry put their worldly possessions in storage in the UAE and took to the road. They have been on the move ever since, calling in to Dubai every few months to check their mail. Lara's travel trip: while a backpack is perfect for trips of six months or less, for anything longer opt for a Samsonite on wheels, stashing a smaller backpack inside - unless you're a turtle, you simply can't carry your home on your back, especially one housing books, camera, laptop, and an ever-expanding collection of travel films!
