Gillian Fawcett’s offers readers a glimpse into the highs and lows of global exploration in her book Unconventional Routes

Gillian Fawcett on one of her adventures

Being a businesswoman on a whirlwind tour of 43 countries is no ordinary adventure.

Unconventional Routes takes you on a wild ride, offering a glimpse into the highs and lows of global exploration. Fasten your seatbelt and prepare to embark on a journey that will have you laughing, cringing, and gasping at the absurdities of Gillian Fawcett’s encounters around the world.

No two journeys were ever alike. Each possesses its own unique flavour, seasoned with a generous blend of incidents ranging from side-splitting hilarity to spine-tingling unease, and at times, hair-raising danger. It’s a never-ending game of travel roulette, where the next destination holds the mystery of what adventure awaits.

Gillian Fawcett is a public policy and finance consultant and debut author who lives in Haringey. She is passionate about travel, improving public services, and advancing gender equality. Unconventional Routes dispels the myth that a punishing work schedule involving international travel means that you can’t have fun too.

Gillian explains: “As a first-time and well-travelled author who has kept a diary capturing different experiences over the years, I wanted to bring these together and offer readers a unique perspective on travel by chronicling my experiences as a woman business traveller. There are still too few women writers out there and because of my passion for gender equality I thought that I could combine my passion with a tongue in cheek account of business travel.

“Also, the profession I work for is still dominated by men at the leadership level and I thought that bringing my experiences of navigating the world as a woman, including the nuanced aspects of risk-taking and adaptation within male-dominated environments would be of interest to readers.

“Over the years I have been lucky enough to work across a range of countries from collaborating with UN Women in the Western Balkans to consulting with the Ministry of Finance in China. Each visit allowed me to gain different perspectives about a country. I wanted this book to dispel the misconception that international business travel revolves solely around airports and hotel rooms, thus failing to offer an engaging read and appreciation of the countries visited and acquisition of a deeper understanding of economies, politics, and cultures compared to what a quick tourist excursion can provide.”

Unconventional Routes is due to be published on 28^th September.

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