Having lived in Germany, Belize, Scotland, Canada and New Zealand, and after many years of travelling to more than 60 countries, Michael is now based on Sweden’s Höga Kusten (High Coast), where he enjoys a much quieter rural life with his partner Neil, their two cats Daisy and Benny and the great outdoors. His garden is full of blueberries, strawberries and raspberries, and in the forests around him he can be seen foraging for cloudberries, lingonberries and wild strawberries. He loves his frequent hikes and the solitude of the vast Swedish forests, as well as time in the kitchen, creating new dishes. He is the author of the book Day-hiking on the Swedish High Coast: 50 great loop trails.

 

 

In his previous life, Michael was a professor for tourism studies at universities in Germany, Scotland, Canada and New Zealand with a special research interest on the human connections with the natural environment, and especially wildlife tourism, sustainable tourism and ecotourism, and coastal and marine tourism.

He has published widely in the field of tourism, including  many tourism related books and the seminal Encyclopedia of Tourism and Recreation in Marine Environments (CABI). Michael remains affiliated with the Auckland University of Technology in New Zealand, where he is a professor emeritus.