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Lara Dunston, Travel and Food Writer

Lara Dunston

Travel and Food Writer

  • About Me
  • Travel Writing
  • Travel Services
  • Blog
  • Contacts

Travel Writing

Commission me

I’m a widely published travel and food writer, prolific guidebook author and successful blogger. See About Me for more details on my writing career, publications I’ve written for, guidebooks I’ve authored, and the destinations where I have expertise and experience. If you’re an editor who’d like to commission me, please email or get in touch via my Contacts page.

Hire me

I’ve been writing professionally since 1987 and over those many years have written features, film scripts, two teen fiction novels, media releases, research reports, speeches, courses, presentations, you name it. If you’d like me to create content for your publication, website, blog, or social media channels, or develop a content strategy for your business or organisation, feel free to email me with ideas or a proposal.

Learn from me

I’ve been teaching since the mid 1990s when I was invited to speak about low-budget filmmaking following the premiere of our feature film, Come By Chance, Australia’s lowest budget film at the time. I soon found myself writing courses and teaching classes in film history, scriptwriting, directing and producing for the International Screen Academy, Sydney Community College, and WEA in Sydney, which I did for some years.

But it was a transformational experience in South America in 1997 when I serendipitously became involved in a participatory filmmaking project, teaching documentary video making to women in shanty towns in Rio and Lima that really sparked a passion and inspired a move into full-time teaching.

A year later I was hired to start a film programme at a women’s college in Abu Dhabi, where I found myself teaching young Emirati women how to write, produce and direct for film, television and multimedia. My students were the first in the UAE to make films (on digital), which screened at overseas festivals and won awards. We also held the first film festival at Abu Dhabi Cultural Foundation in 1999.

During my time in the UAE, first as faculty in Abu Dhabi, and later managing the communications programme at the Dubai women’s college, I was responsible for the creative development and success of almost a thousand young women. Over eight years, I taught dozens of classes in writing and production; edited and assessed hundreds of stories, scripts and films; wrote a dozen courses, including scores of lectures and course notes; and was responsible for the creation of two Bachelor’s degrees.

I’m now drawing on that abundant experience in education to offer a range of creative learning experiences for aspiring writers:

Workshops on Travel Writing and Food Writing

I’ll soon be announcing short workshops on travel writing and food writing which I’ll be holding in conjunction with a Siem Reap based tour company, cooking school, and street food operator. These will consist of short, punchy classes crammed with tips and hands-on workshops, crafted around enriching tours and culinary experiences that will serve as the inspiration and material for your writing. Watch this space!

Travel Writing and Photography Tours

My photographer husband Terence Carter and I hosted our first culinary travel writing and photography tour in Cambodia in May 2015 in partnership with Backyard Travel. We have also held Vietnam tours (more to come soon) and we host Cambodia culinary tours with an optional travel writing and photography component.

In addition, we are also offering specialised culinary tours, crafted with chefs, restaurateurs, food writers, and foodies in mind. See our Travel Services page for details.

Travel Writing and Food Writing Retreats

As we’ve found with our tours, they can also be exhausting due to the pace and time spent travelling and tiredness is not conducive to writing. For aspiring writers who prefer to stay in one place and stay focused on the writing, we offer these with enriching experiences from our tours, however, the pace is slower, with longer periods set aside for writing, and are based in one place.

Travel and Food Photography

Why would I not draw on the expertise of my seriously talented photographer husband Terence Carter whose beautiful images have been published everywhere from National Geographic Traveller to Delicious magazine? Terence will offer photography workshops and be available to provide support and advice during my workshops, tours and retreats.

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Brief Bio

Lara Dunston is a Cambodia based Travel & Food Writer and has regular gigs with: The Guardian, CNN, Australian Gourmet Traveller, Feast, Delicious, The Independent, Telegraph, National Geographic Traveler / Traveller, Get Lost, Wanderlust, Travel+Leisure SEA, DestinAsian, AFAR. Read more here.

Related Websites

Our travel website:
GRANTOURISMO TRAVELS

Our full service digital media agency:
GRANTOURISMO MEDIA

Our Cambodian retreats site:
SIEM REAP RETREATS

Partner Phtography Site:
TERENCE CARTER PHOTOGRAPHY

Latest on Instagram

Second doses done! Thank you, Cambodia!! And this Second doses done! Thank you, Cambodia!! And this view was our reward on the stroll home. It was just us and about 300 five year olds getting their vaccinations today and @terence_carter_photography reckons I was the only one in tears. The nurse was not as gentle as the first one a few weeks ago...  I have to say that Cambodian children are such brave little souls. Not a single “ouch”. Most kids went in on their own while their parents waited outside. The only little girl who needed her hand held was a European child with her dad. The Cambodian kids and their parents were also very proud to be vaccinated. It’s no wonder The Kingdom of Wonder is one of the world’s most vaccinated countries. Great job, Cambodia!  And we were rewarded with this magnificent weather and marvellous view of Siem Reap River. Now all I want to do is sleep...  #siemreap #siemreapcambodia #siemreapriver #steungsiemreap #river #riverview #riverside #reflections #trees #leafy #bluesky #blueskies #blueskiesandsunshine #sunny #sunnyday #monsoon #rainyseason #igtravel #igtraveller #travelwriter #travelblogger #travelphotographer #ᴠᴀᴄᴄɪɴᴇᴅᴀʏ💉 #vaccinated #vaccinatedandhappy #seconddosedone💉✔ #picoftheday #picoftheday📷
Pickled peppers. New recipe posts on pickles on th Pickled peppers. New recipe posts on pickles on the site. Not that you’ll need a recipe after making them the first time. These are dead easy and so deliciously tangy. Link in bio.  #pickles #pickling #picklingtime #picklingseason #pickledpeppers #pickledchillies #pickledjalapenos #pickledonions #pickledcabbage #pickledveggies #pickledcucumber #dillpickles #quickpickles #refrigeratorpickles #recipe #recipes #foodwriter #foodwriting #writingacookbook #foodphotography #foodphoto #foodshare #foodshot #igfood #igcooking #instafood #foodstagram #grantourismotravels
Siem Reap continues to surprise and delight during Siem Reap continues to surprise and delight during its post-pandemic* recovery. Exciting to see the proper footpaths — made of beautiful granite blocks —  curbs and guttering, new bitumen roads, and riverside paths finally being completed. You’ll all be returning to a very different city, a more modern and more walkable city.  And who knew this timber house was hidden behind the clutter of the former furniture workshop cum home that was here? Not quite sure whether they’re deconstructing the house or restoring it, but it would make a lovely cafe-bar with the covered balcony, pagoda across the road and leafy riverside opposite.  And that’s Barcode right behind it, home to Siem Reap’s finest and most flamboyant drag shows pre-pandemic, which many of our former clients and friends who visited would no doubt recall. Fun times were always had by all. Remember fun?!  * I used “post-pandemic”, as Cambodia is now one of the most vaccinated countries in the world and Covid cases are in the two digits at last! 💃🏻🎉  #siemreap #siemreapcambodia #newsiemreap #siemreapreopening #siemreapredevelopment #siemriverside #siemreaprenaissance #cambodia #newnormal #pandemic #pandemic2021 #covid19 #postpandemic #afternoonwalk #monsoonwalk #monsoon #rainyseason #urbanphotography #photography #grantourismotravels #writing #writer #travelwriter #barcode #woodenhouse #streetlife #dailylife #streetscene #igdaily #picoftheday
We’ve been quiet on social media again. Thanks f We’ve been quiet on social media again. Thanks for the messages to check in on us. We appreciate them. I just don’t seem to be able to keep on top of everything. There’s just not enough time in each day. But I really need to start sharing again so let’s start with this recipe, published a while ago but so good and so easy to make.  This spicy chicken lettuce wraps recipe makes a Southeast Asian take on san choi bao, the Chinese lettuce cups from Southern China and Hong Kong that were popularised in Chinese-Australian restaurants in the 1970s.  Our minced chicken lettuce cups take inspiration from the food of our home here in Southeast Asia, from both savoury larbs (minced meat salads) and the custom of wrapping things in lettuce.  If there’s one thing that the pandemic has taught us, it’s to always ensure the freezer is stocked with minced meat – minced chicken, pork mince, ground beef, it all comes in handy – because you never know when there’s going to be a lockdown or stay at home orders or, even worse, you run out of ideas as to what to cook for dinner.  If you do, drop by Grantourismo and browse our Recipe archives. We have hundreds of recipes from Southeast Asia and beyond.  Link here and in the bio: https://grantourismotravels.com/spicy-chicken-lettuce-wraps-recipe/  #sanchoibao #chineseaustralianfood #chinesefood #cantonesefood #cantoneseaustralianfood #asianaustralianfood #australianfood #asianfood #southeastasianfood #lettucewraps #lettucecups #chicken #salad #chickensalad #recipe #recipes #igfood #igfoodie #cooking #food #foodphotography #foodwriter #foodblogger #foodporn #foodstagram #instafood #foodpics #foodie #foodiegram #healthyfood
We’re still alive — thanks to those of you who We’re still alive — thanks to those of you who have messaged with concern — and, no, it wasn’t an intentional social media detox, more like an accidental one, and I highly recommend doing it occasionally.  It’s just been such an eventful month —  trying to get vaccinated, then finally getting vaccinated (on my birthday — best present ever!), recovering (I had side effects; Terence didn’t), then trying to catch up on everything I fell behind on during the previous weeks and months having let the quest to get vaccinated dominate my life there for a few months — and failing.  I had so many goals for October, too, being my birthday month — such as getting new and improved cookbook proposals and culinary history proposals out to publishers, following up with publishers I sent earlier proposals to, increasing Grantourismo subscribers, finding kitchenware sponsors (everything is old and breaking), promoting our @society6 shop products, fundraising for the next cookbook research and photography trips now that we’ll soon be fully vaccinated, recruiting more patrons on @patreon to help fund those trips and our research and work... and more! So much more!  I did not achieve any of those, for reasons earlier explained, but if there’s one thing the pandemic has taught me — in fact it’s taught me a lot of things — and that’s to be kinder on myself, and not beat myself up if I don’t get through those very ambitious to-do lists. There’s always November... bring it on!  How was your October?  View from our Siem Reap balcony.  #view #viewfromtheoffice #viewfromhome #blueskies #blueskiesandsunshine #blueskiesfordays #blueskiesahead 
#siemreap #siemreapcambodia #cambodia #pandemic #pandemiclessons #pandemic2021 #covid19 #vaccinated #vaccinatedandhappy #photography #grantourismotravels #writing #writer #foodwriter #cambodiancookbook #cambodianculinaryhistory #cookbookwriterseekingpublisher #fundraising #patreon #society6 #patreoncreator #cookbookwriter #writingacookbook
I guess we’re having noodles for dinner... #pep I guess we’re having noodles for dinner...  #pepper #blackcat #blackcats #blackcatsofinstagram #blackcatsrule #blackcatsmatter #cat #cats #catsofinstagram #catstagram #catlover #catlovers #catlove #catoftheday #catphoto #catpic #catpics #cambodiancat #cambodiancatsofinstagram #catlife #catloversclub #catoftheday #catgram #catstagram #cats_of_instagram #catphotography #catsofig #catsoftheworld #catsofinsta #cats🐱 #siemreap #cambodia

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ALL MEDIA (WORDS AND IMAGES) COPYRIGHT © 2007–2022 LARA DUNSTON AND TERENCE CARTER | ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. DESIGNED IN APARTMENT RENTALS, HOTELS AND RESORTS AROUND THE WORLD BY GRANTOURISMO MEDIA. ASSEMBLED IN SOUTH-EAST-ASIA.

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