Globetrot With A Grin: Travel Tips From BLF Author Sophie Cooke

Smile often and wear a big hood. Is that what it takes to make it as a travel writer? Novelist, poet, and travel author Sophie Cooke will be at this year's Bookworm Literary Festival on Sunday, March 17, 2pm, to tell all you aspiring guidebook authors and Theroux wannabes how to write (and get paid) for your travel tales. In the meantime, here are her top five tips for travelers. Hint: Make sure you land in the right country.

1. Wear a hooded sweater - the bigger the hood, the better! I have one that I can pull forward so it completely covers my whole face. Great for sleeping on planes and trains. It's also sometimes nice as a woman to be able to cover your hair and some of your face - you get less unwanted attention. Plus it's good protection against the weather. A big scarf can do the same jobs.

2. Make sure you disembark in the right country! I didn't realise my plane from Zanzibar to Harare had a stopover, so I disembarked along with half the other passengers when we landed (wondering why everyone else was so slow to leave the plane). It was only as I was crossing the tarmac that I saw a large sign saying 'Kamuzu'. I was in Malawi...

3. Learn a little of the language - even if it's just a few words. I use a website called Byki which has free downloads of word cards with audio voiceover, so you get the pronunciation right. Download the audio files onto your i-Pod and you can listen to them while you're travelling.

4. Walk as much as possible. I am a big believer in serendipity: go where you feel like going, and stop where you feel like stopping. Wander and watch, and be open to the unexpected.

5. Smile. Yes, of course you should take sensible precautions for your safety: and if you do this, there's usually nothing to be anxious about. Good people exist everywhere in the world, and will look after you. I have been shown so much kindness in countries where I was a stranger. It has made me extra-ready to help any stranger in my own country who looks lost, or like they need a bit of help. Make connections with people: enjoy the fact that you are sharing the same space on this planet, so briefly!

Tickets for Sophie Cooke's literary festival events are on sale now at the Bookworm.