Deal or No Deal winner travels the world

Travelling is in the blood for author and Deal or No Deal winner Graham Field.

He combines his love of seeing the world with capturing the experiences for his books. Written in diary style, they detail keen biker Graham’s adventures on his Kawasaki KLR650, which he bought for just £700 on eBay.

His first, 15,000-mile, journey was documented in his book In Search Of Greener Grass. He’s just published his second book, Ureka, Shuvvy Press, £12.99, following another epic trip. The 48-year-old Graham lives in Colchester in Essex.

He told The Sunday Post about his experiences of travelling around the world.

“I don’t really remember family holidays that much as a kid, other than going to Disney World in Florida.

“At the end of the ’80s I did the obligatory backpacking round South America, Australia and South East Asia. Then I spent six months cycling round India and China. I’ve always had wanderlust and I’ve always been into motorbikes.

“My first book came about when I was on Deal or No Deal. I won £5,000 and I was asked what I’d do with the money. I said I’d do a journey that would make Ewan McGregor’s epic motorcycle adventure look like a trip to Tesco.

“I set off through Mongolia, Kazakhstan and ended up in South Korea. Mongolia seemed like an unthinkable distance to me when I was at home in Colchester but it was done gradually, discovering places along the way.

“Kazakhstan, which I knew nothing about, was probably the most pleasant surprise. The people were so inquisitive. Every time I looked up in a car park there was a mobile pointed at me, taking my picture.

“There’s a lot of nothing in Kazakhstan but that’s what I like about it, as Essex is so crowded.

“I pulled into a town after not seeing anyone for three days and I didn’t even know what time zone I was in as it’s the ninth biggest country in the world.

“When people in a restaurant heard what I was doing, one guy insisted on giving me a phone with a local SIM card in case I got in trouble.

“Throughout the rest of my trip the phone would bleep with texts from people I’d never met inviting me to stay at their houses. It’s the most incredibly trustworthy, generous country.

“The only thing I ever did to offend people was to try and pay my way. They’d always say no. Mongolia was just how I’d imagined it. The second you cross the border, everything stops.

“There were no signposts and just dirt tracks instead of roads. Yaks wander about and eagles sit at the side of the road. When they take off their wingspan is as wide as the track.

“For the new book, Georgia is probably my new favourite country. It’s very small, about the same size as Ireland, but it’s so varied. It has its Black Sea resorts, hilly wine country, historic cities and beautiful architecture.

“But the main thing for me was the Caucasus Mountains. I like to get on my bike and get away from it all, and it was such a step back in time.”