Richard Collett
Award-Winning Travel Writer.
Welcome to Travel Tramp
Hello there, I’m Richard, the Travel Tramp. Award-winning blogger, professional travel journalist and published author.
I’m on a quest to explore the world through its borders and boundaries.
Borders have shaped the world around us. Migration is the defining topic of the 21st century, and I’m here to answer the deeper questions about politics, history and identity we’re confronted with when we travel. Why is Cyprus divided? Why are there so many breakaway territories in the Caucasus? And why is Muslim-Chinese food so popular in Kyrgyzstan?
You’ll find stories of guerrilla fighters, micronations and refugees, as I build a database of cartographic curiosities and geopolitical oddities. All the things that make travel so fascinating.
Richard Collett, January 2025.
My latest book
Along the Borders: In search of what divides and unites the British Isles chronicles my multi-year journey along Britain’s ancient and modern boundaries.
From the Welsh Marches and the Irish land border to Kent’s coast and the most northerly isles of Shetland; join me as I explore Britain’s history and modern identity through its borders, boundaries and frontiers.
Published by Penguin Random House and available now.
richard@travel-tramp.com
Richard is an award-winning travel journalist. Richard’s travel stories, guides and photography have been published by BBC Travel, Atlas Obscura, Lonely Planet, Culture Trip, The Independent, and many more publications. Richard’s debut book, Along the Borders, was published by Penguin Random House in April 2026.
Latest Features
9 Ancient Borders That Shaped The World
From Babylonian boundary stones to the extensive engineering works of the Roman Empire; here are 10 ancient borders that shaped the world. Borders are a constant in human history. The human story is one of boundaries. Of division. Of a search for definition and...
What is Bordelines? My New Project.
Join my quest to understand the world through its borders and boundaries. Sign up for my brand new BORDERLINES Newsletter and follow the journey. NEWSLETTER SIGN UP SUBSTACK SIGNUP Welcome to Borderlines! This blog, Travel Tramp, is now almost ten years old. A decade...
Inside Saddam Hussein’s Abandoned Babylonian Palace
On the banks of the Euphrates River in Iraq, a crumbling palace stands as a forlorn memento to the demise of a dictator. Here's an inside look at Saddam Hussein's abandoned Babylonian palace. "My legs were shaking. I was so nervous," Maki Mohammed recounted with a shy...
Award Winning Travel Writing
The Best of Travel Tramp
Travel Stories
Long form narratives, character driven stories, photographic journeys and deep dives into the world’s curious destinations.
Unusual Destinations
Breakaway territories, micronations, remote islands, abandoned places, dark tourism, emerging destinations and second cities. Learn how to travel off the beaten track with Travel Tramp.
Borderlines
Geography, politics and history shape the borders around us. Why do borders exist where they do? What makes a country a country? How many nations are in the UK? Learn how geopolitics and history define how and where we can travel.
richard@travel-tramp.com