I often wonder where I got my itchy feet from. Certainly there may be some genetics involved: my great uncle ran away from home at 13 after his mother died and stowed away on a ship to Canada. Later in life, after being pastor of a congregation on the Wirral, he and his wife left for East Africa in their 60s. They worked with the Masai in Kenya and he later taught at a Bible College in Kampala. My parents took us on camping and caravanning holidays throughout much of mainland Britain and to France in my last year at school. We watched ‘The World About Us’ on BBC2 every Sunday evening and they subscribed to National Geographic (I still do) – so some environmental influences as well. Needless to say, as soon as I am back from one trip, I am planning the next and the next……… and am an avid collector of old maps and travel books.