David Pillinger was born in St Helier’s Hospital, Carshalton, about ten miles from the River Thames in South West London. A large white monolith of a structure, the Germans had used it as a landmark to guide them towards bombing the docks and other strategic targets in London during World War Two.

His first memory of a fascination for travel and all things different was as a young boy paging through his parents’ coffee table Atlas of the World and being beguiled by the word ‘Montevideo’, capital of Uruguay on the mouth of the River Plate in oh-so-far-away-I-hope-to-visit-someday South America. And then the eternal flame of his dromomania, the obsession with travel, was irreversibly sparked into life when he visited West Germany in 1981 with his beloved maternal Grandmother, Norah, and a whole coachload of fun-loving octogenarians. Slipping out of the Rhine Hotel in Andernach on the west bank of the great European river at 2am one morning, the curious 16 year-old, with only a school trip to Le Touquet in France on his travel totem pole, was exhilarated by the sense of freedom. And then he saw the large, silent tankers cruising in the gloomy light, heading north and south on that legendary swathe of water. Where are they going? Where have they been? Bang! At that very moment, young David wanted to see it all!

He was fortunate enough to land an editing position with local sports agency Allsport in 1982 and took his first flight, on a Learjet, to Sarajevo in Yugoslavia for the 1984 Winter Olympics. Months later he was in Los Angeles for the Summer Olympics. And so began a 42 year career in the media that has taken him to six continents (89 countries) to either edit or sell photography or simply explore for Allsport, Getty Images, Corbis and Reuters. Despite losing 85 pounds to amoebic dysentery in India, that remains his favourite country and South America his favourite continent.

Most memorable sights?

Iguacu Falls in Argentina and Brazil.

The Taj Mahal in India in surreal, diaphanous blue light before dawn.

The Kaieteur Falls in Guyana. Twice.

The Grand Canyon for the first time in 1987.

The pyramids in Cairo, Egypt. For an hour or so I was the first and only one at the site.

Dubrovnik, Croatia and Mostar, Bosnia Herzegovina.

Favourite food?

Caribbean, Lebanese, Thai.

Favourite region?

I ADORE the Balkans. I’ve been to Croatia twice, Bosnia and Montenegro. I plan on spending a lot of time there in the future. I recently visited Estonia with my son and now I’ve fallen in love with the Baltics too!

I’ve always really enjoyed the Andalusia region in southern Spain too.

Worst travel experience?

Amoebic dysentery in India. Food poisoning in Beijing, China. Salmonella in New York State.

Mugged at knife point in Kingston, Jamaica.

Anywhere you’d never return or never plan to go?

NO! It’s all been (mostly) wonderful and I want to see it all again. With the right planning and timing there’s nowhere I wouldn’t go.

Where’s next?

El Salvador.

David has shared his love of life and travel with his son, Sidney, and each year they visit family in Europe. His plans for semi-retirement include a base in Andalucia, southern Spain and driving a Vee-Dub Kombi languidly around Europe. Wine and cheese and relax!

And in 2011 David did make it to Montevideo in Uruguay!