Andy Symington

Andy is an Australian freelance writer who has prowled the globe leading the life of a vagabond. After studying archaeology and psychology, he worked in the navigation business and, for some time, in educational and community theatre before long travels eventually saw him wind up in Edinburgh, selling whisky to the Scots.


Andy first became involved in writing when someone cannily contracted him to contribute to a pub guide, and his formidable research on that title broke a man but launched a career.


He has since written or worked on nearly fifty guidebooks for Lonely Planet (especially in Scotland, Finland, and Latin America) and other publishing companies, and has published articles on subjects as diverse as wine, rocket launches and Shakespeare for a variety of newspapers, magazines, and websites.


Andy moved to Northern Spain a decade ago and lives in a place where the climate is described as ‘nine months of winter, three months of hell’. Still, it’s one of his favourite parts of the world. When he’s not off with a backpack in some far-flung corner of the world, he can probably be found watching the tragically poor local football side or tasting local wines after a long walk in the nearby mountains.