>Claire Boobbyer, travel writer and photographer
by Giles Turnbull
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Like a lot of students, I spent two and half years pissing about and then knuckled down for the final six months to do some proper work. During those final months I remember visiting my friend Claire Boobbyer in the house she shared in southern Cambridge. We sat in her room drinking tea and I admired her Amstrad. She’d bought it second hand so she could churn out some articles.
Claire was a woman with a plan. She wanted to go into journalism and was already doing something about, practicing her writing and sending articles off to publishers of newspapers and magazines.
The conversation turned, as conversations did in those days, to what we were all going to do post-college. I said I didn’t have a clue. And Claire said: “Why don’t you try journalism? You’d be good at that.”
So there you are, folks. It’s all her fault. It was Claire’s suggestion that got me thinking about journalism as a career, that resulted in my applying for a post-graduate journalism course, that got me my first job, that got me my second job, that sent me into freelancing, that got me here today.
Claire’s career started in a similar way but went off in different directions. She became a writer and editor of travel guide books. She’s done several now, mainly in South East Asia and Central America, particularly Cuba.
What Claire doesn’t know about Cuba isn’t worth knowing. If I’m ever lucky enough to be planning a trip there, Claire will be the first person I consult for advice.
