Alexandra Richards (www.alexandrarichards.net) grew up in Dorset, where she developed a love of rural life, the natural world and outdoor pursuits. Following a degree in Modern European Languages at the University of Durham, during which time she spent a year on Réunion Island in the Indian Ocean, getting to grips with Creole and travelling the region, Alex evolved into a freelance travel writer and photographer. Later Alex evolved into a freelance travel writer and photographer and has now written six editions of Bradt’s Mauritius, Rodrigues and Réunion guide. In 2004, she undertook a writing and photography assignment that involved travelling to Australia on a cargo ship via the Suez Canal and ended up living in Australia for 15 years. In 2019, she returned to live in Dorset, the place she has always called home, and is the author of Bradt’s Slow Travel: Dorset.