I work as a writer and editor, plus an occasional podcast host, panel chair or moderator, Japanese proofreader and trip planner. I’m happy working in many different areas, with previous projects including guidebooks, apps, website pieces, blog posts, newspaper and magazine articles, hotel reviews, bespoke itineraries, and podcast episodes.
For five years I worked on the in-house editorial team at Rough Guides, alongside writing for the guidebooks, website and podcast. I became a freelance writer in 2018, after which I’ve worked in editorial, commercial and some B2B across print and digital media.
Among the companies and publications I’ve written for are Wanderlust, The Telegraph, The i newspaper, Britain Magazine, Michelin, DK Eyewitness Guides, Raconteur/The Sunday Times, loveEXPLORING, Culture Trip and TouchStay. My Amazon author page lists some of the print titles to which I’ve contributed, and there’s more detail on some of my projects below.
As an intern, editorial assistant and then editor at Rough Guides (2013–2018), I edited more books than I can count. I specialized in the UK and Latin America, for example on our Devon & Cornwall and Costa Rica guides, but worked across all of our lists, for example on Pocket guides to Reykjavik and Tenerife & La Gomera.
As well as editing other people’s words, I’ve written a few of my own in Rough Guides titles, from The Rough Guide to England to Make the Most of Your Time on Earth. I also proofread all new Japanese text in The Rough Guide to Japan and The Rough Guide to Tokyo (sixth and seventh editions of each), then updated several chapters of The Rough Guide to Japan (eighth edition) in 2019.
For The Telegraph, I visited Gifu and wrote about the lives of traditional craftspeople, as well as using my time in Alberta to write a branded piece on winter activities. I’ve also provided insight on Cornwall during the Covid-19 pandemic.
For The i newspaper, I created an insider’s guide to Japan, suggesting how to plan your first trip, and explaining why you should make a beeline for Tohoku on your return.
As well as my work on the print side for Rough Guides, I’ve written articles on Japan, the UK, South Africa, Denmark, the US, Iceland and plenty of other places for roughguides.com. Here are a few of my favourites.
I’ve written several articles about Japan and Canada for Culture Trip, including a piece on Kyoto’s New Year traditions for the print magazine.
As well as their Tokyo destination page, I’ve written several articles and galleries for loveexploring.com and lovefood.com, covering the UK, Japan, Canada and Denmark.
For Britain Magazine’s 2019 London Guide, I wrote a piece on the city’s best afternoon teas. Then, for the March/April 2019 issue of the magazine, I did the arduous work of drinking delicious English wine and writing about it…
I’ve also worked with Raconteur several times, writing on technology in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics for a Sunday Times special report on the Internet of Things.
Outside of travel, I’ve written for Raconteur about art in the digital age and the importance of inclusive language. The latter was for a D&I special report for the Sunday Times.
I’ve been quoted as a travel expert (very fancy) in Stylist, The Telegraph and Wanderlust as well as featuring in a Publishers Weekly piece on podcasts in the travel publishing industry.
I co-hosted, -researched and -wrote season three of award-winning podcast The Rough Guide to Everywhere. I’m pretty proud of everything we did, but my labour of love was the DNA travel episode.
Rebecca Hallett 