With degrees in Economics and Classics, Michael Osborne has been an accountant, bath resurfacer and headmaster. Now he has a tangential relationship with education and writes book reviews for The Economist. He enjoys remote places and has walked considerable distances in many lands. Forty years ago he described himself on his passport as an itinerant and was happy to rough it. Today he prefers a greater degree of comfort and staying in hotels that are charming, peaceful, individual, friendly and good value.