Nick Dall

A young Cameroonian nurse who invented a blood-sharing app. A white-haired Peruvian hotelier who's been using tourism to save species for 40 years. An Ethiopian activist whose fixation with truth has seen him spend decades in prison. These people's stories are so incredible that they pretty much write themselves.

Nothing gets my pulse racing like an unexpected tale that's been largely forgotten by modernity. While I'll write about absolutely anything old and unexpected, I do have a real soft spot for 19th Century South American Caudillos, foods with political undertones and the surprising nuances of colonialism. As the author of books on the history of both corruption and elections in South Africa, I also know a fair bit about these topics.

The only difference between lifestyle and travel is that one happens in your own backyard. I've dived into the details of everything from boutique coffee roasteries and handmade wooden surfboards to mushroom hunting and worm farming. Not to mention fermented foods and model cars.

The surprising rebirth of an ancient wine grape. The unexpected things Africans are doing with faeces and urine. The stoplight prompting families the world over to lift themselves out of poverty. Identifying trends before they happen is one of the most satisfying parts of my job.

I got into gear by accident, but for a few years it was a major part of my life. As the Gear Guy for South Africa's largest travel magazine I had to turn myself into a new kind of expert 12 times a year. These days I still review gear for a couple of major outdoor brands.