James, one of the original co-founders of The Hotel Guru, has spent much of his life travelling: from early voyages across the sands of the Sahara and up the Niger river to Timbuktou, to one of the last of the overland 'Magic Buses' to India via Iran and Afghanistan. He spent ten years as a tour guide in Europe and China, and has travelled extensively in North, West and East Africa, as well as the Indian subcontinent and Australasia. He has a passion for seeking out hotels of character worldwide, with a particular expertise in great places to stay in Italy, France and the UK. He is also a published thriller writer under the pen name JD Wood.