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Matthew D. Firestone
I spent most of my formative youth in a small town 100km south of New York City that is famous for its strip malls, drag racing and suburban discontent. My escape came in the form of a farsighted admissions officer at Harvard who accidentally placed my application in the 'Admit' pile. Although the officer was later fired for his gross negligence, I on the other hand matriculated and began what was to be a short-lived career as a biological anthropologist.
My field research on the ancestral nutrition of indigenous populations in Southeast Asia, Central America and sub-Saharan Africa was systematic, insightful and impossibly boring to read. However, people surprisingly seemed interested in reading about the exploits of a suburban-bred anthropologist, and thus began my newfound career as a freelance travel writer.
After graduating from university, I worked as a bartender in Tokyo, where I learned Japanese by asking customers to scribble grammar patterns on the backs of coasters. Later on, I moved to the UK, where I studied epidemiology at Cambridge, though job prospects were slim as I spent most of my free time travelling in Europe and North Africa. Fortunately, I was hired to work as a freelance travel writer for Lonely Planet soon after hitting the 50-country mark.
When I'm not travelling, home is an old sofa in my parents' retirement house in Vegas. In addition to Japanese, I also speak Spanish as well as a bit of French and Swahili (not bad for an American).
Favorite place in the world: Namibia for the beauty and isolation of its landscape, though fresh sushi on any of Okinawa's beaches is a close second.
Best travel tip: Always bring pictures of yourself from home. They're great for chatting up locales, and they're a convenient way to keep track of all the weight you've lost while travelling.
