Simon Calder

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Simon Calder (born 25 December 1955 in Crawley, West Sussex), is an English travel writer, currently the travel editor for The Independent newspaper.

Contents

[edit] Biography

Calder is the son of science writer Nigel Calder and the grandson of the late Lord Peter Ritchie Calder. In 1961, Calder joined the Woodcraft Folk, and took his first independent trip with the group to the Lake District. That same year after the USSR sent nuclear warheads to Cuba, Calder's parents decided that with Gatwick airport only two miles away they were in the line of a potential Soviet target. The family moved to Guernsey in the Channel Islands, where Calder spent the rest of his childhood. The school he attended compulsory taught Russian, which Calder comments was not useful on regular school and family trips to France.

Calder's first job was a cleaner for British Airways at Gatwick, and later as a security guard. He began during this period writing budget travel guidebooks, starting with the "Hitch-hiker's Manual: Britain." He later studied for a degree in Mathematics at University of Warwick, while also perfecting his love of Hitchhiking around Europe. At one point he was the holder of the record for the quickest hitchhike between Land's End and John o' Groats[1]

After university, Calder wrote several books and series of guides including the "Traveller's Survival Kit" series and "Backpacks, Boots and Baguettes." His first broadcast as a travel expert was on Simon Bates program "Studio B15" on BBC Radio 1 in 1980[2]. Calder became travel editor for The Independent in 1994, and shortly afterwards began presenting for BBC 2's "Travel Show" until the programme ended in 1999, and continues to contribute to various BBC programs including "Holiday" and co-hosting "Departure Lounge." Calder regularly comments on as an expert on travel issues for national and local BBC radio and TV stations, presents "747" on BBC Radio 5, and presents one-off travel programmes for BBC Radio 4. He also presents a Saturday afternoon program on Classic FM called "Classical Journey."

[edit] Personal life

Calder married Charlotte in Las Vegas in 1997[3]. Their first daughter, Daisy, was born in 2000; the second, Poppy, in 2003.

His favourite composer is Bach[4]

[edit] References

  1. ^ http://www.vacationwork.co.uk/calder.php
  2. ^ http://www.classicfm.com/sectional.asp?id=9440
  3. ^ http://www.travelcounsellors.co.uk/ezine/nov2006/las_vegas_destination.aspx
  4. ^ http://www.classicfm.com/sectional.asp?id=9440

[edit] External links

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