Welcome to my small collection of observations from my time travelling round the planet. Unfortunately most of my older snaps have been lost and plenty more recent ones have ended up down a digital plughole due to my technical ineptitude, but a few have survived.    

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Travel has been my passion since my first independent trip in 1974 as an 18 year old Inter Railing round Europe, and since then, I've been very privileged to have visited over 140 countries, alll 49 contiguous states in the USA in 'Madge' my motorhome, and every county in the UK & Ireland as well as the opportunity to live and work in over twenty countries either managing airport operations for British Airways or presenting travel programmes for the BBC.

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Travel has changed dramatically over the past 30 years and the internet and 'no frills' flying has introduced foreign travel to millions of people who otherwise would have stayed at home. The popularity and growth of air travel has ushered in a new word and a new problem - overtourism.  Many beautiful locations and cities across the world now struggle to cope with the staggering numbers of visitors, and many and now intriducing measures to actually curb the number of visitors.

 

As media spokesman for British Airways and presenter and commentator of travel programmes on tv and radio, perhaps I should take some of the blame for encouraging more travel, but with a bit of planning and effort its still easy to enjoy the culture and attractions of a country without the need to head straight to its capital city.  Secondary cities are, in my view often much more authentic and enjoyable than the choking streets, rip off prices and tourist tat of the capitals. 

The growth of international travel also means that the 'airport experience' has now become something to endure rather than enjoy, even for a flying fanatic like me. In 1978 when I started working at Heathrow, the passenger numbers using the airport that year were 32 million.  In 2025 that figure is projected to be 84 million!

 

2025 has started in rather an unusual way - after 13 years a nomad, I've just bought a home in the delightful Dorset town of Sherborne, and compared to my entire adult life, which has been based in the South East and in the words of Thomas Hardy, Dorset's most famous son, I am indeed now  "far from the madding crowd".  Travel over the last 18 months has been a bit intermittent due to head injuries sustained in a fall which resulted in a lengthy ban on driving and flying, but once the house has been refurbished I'm hitting the roads, rail and air routes again.... plans TBA. 

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January 2025

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Feel free to email me via jamie@jamiebowden.com or call/WA me on +44 7779 353040.    

 

Note to Media:  Please be advised that I won't be conducting TV or radio interviews on potential summer flight disruption at UK airports or any commercial or operational challenges affecting British Airways.  

 

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