Helen Ochyra
Born and raised in a small Wiltshire town, Helen was itching to get out and see the world from a young age. First only escaping as far as Canterbury to go to university, she later made it as far as San Diego, California where she spent a year theoretically studying theatre, literature and culture, but in practice studying mostly the American people. On graduating in 2004, Helen left the UK and spent a very happy year on the backpacker trail through southeast Asia, Australia and New Zealand before feeling the pull of home and landing a “proper job” at the Guardian. After a three-year stint at the Guardian working on guides to camping, walking, the seaside, adventure sports and, perhaps most enjoyably, wine, Helen joined Rough Guides as a travel editor where she edited guides to Poland, Nepal and South Africa among other destinations, and spent many an hour turning beautifully loquacious books into user-friendly web content. Now freelance, Helen rests her battered suitcase in north London and regularly writes content for national newspapers and magazines, as well as editing for Rough Guides and contributing to travel books and websites. Find out more at www.helenochyra.com
Darwin used to be one of those places that people went when they were running from something,...
