shawn_low

About me

I’m Lonely Planet’s Asia Pacific Travel Editor .

My bio (aka where I speak about myself in third-person):

After many hot, sticky and sweaty years in Singapore, Shawn made for the cooler but more temperamental climes of Melbourne in 2001. He found his way into Lonely Planet as a book editor in 2006. Since then, he’s done two stints as a commissioning editor and has constantly (sometimes successfully) flirted with the Lonely Planet TV department.

Having started his writing career as a hack for Singapore magazines such as Marie Claire, authoring was naturally next on his ‘to do’ list. Again, Lonely Planet came to the rescue with an offer to research and write up on Singapore.

In 2009, Lonely Planet TV offered him a chance to visit China for Roads Less Travelled, he jumped at it faster than it would take a ‘made in China’ bootlegged DVD to hit the street vendors. Though his grandparents were from Fujian in China, the country has always felt like Singapore’s poor cousin… a place where locals were eager to ditch the teeming masses and agricultural life to seek their fortunes elsewhere. Maturity brought about a renewed sense of ‘belonging’ to his grandparents’ ‘homeland’ and with it, a desire to revisit the language and the people. The show was a perfect way to get stuck into life in China.

Post Roads Less Travelled: visiting the Middle Country has rekindled his desire to seek out long-lost family and the house his grandfather built. So one trip ends and plans for another begins. And through it all is his constant mantra while on the road, ’I’ll try anything and eat anything, at least once.’

You can find out more about Roads Less Travelled: China and also view a trailer at [Link Removed]

Books Authored:

Malaysia, Singapore & Brunei 11

SEA on a Shoestring 15, 16

Singapore 9

China 12, 13

Korea 9

Australia 17

• Full Name Shawn Low
• Country Australia
• Gender Male
• Twitter shawnlow
• Top tips for safety online
• Website Shawn's Travel Blog. Words, Pictures, Stuff.
• Languages English, Chinese (Mandarin)
• Favourite Places Anywhere the wind blows. Actually, anywhere LP sends me.
• Interests Coffee, audio, boardgaming, Lego, cycling, soccer, technology, stuff

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