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Fiona Caulfield


Fiona Caulfield
    


Writer and Founder
 Love Travel Guides
  1. How did you come to be living and working in Bangalore?
    Before coming to India, I was living in New York and working as the president of a consulting firm that specialized in Applied Futurism.  India or China seemed like brilliant choices for a futurist, given the emerging power of these countries. When it came time to make a life change, India chose me.

    I have always been an avid traveller and when I reached my mid thirties I began trekking and mountain climbing and was travelling to some of the most interesting places in the world. However, on these trips I couldn't find travel content that was comparable to what was available for travel in Europe and North America. 

    I wanted information on how to fall in love with Delhi, Calcutta, Kathmandu, Nairobi, Lima etc etc and I was frustrated with the mass market travel guides that targeted time rich, cash poor travellers. I was the opposite - my time was my most valuable asset and I was no longer a backpacker willing to sleep in fleapits.  I wanted travel content that was more discerning, intimate and authentic. 

    I had the idea for Love Travel Guides in Calcutta, a city that I fell in love with.  I then made plans to begin the brand with an Indian series. I chose Bangalore, India’s city of the future to be my base and to be the first Love Travel Guide.
     
  2. What are some of your daily work activities?
    It depends on what hat I am wearing. Sometimes I am the CEO of a publishing business and dealing with production, inventory, sales and marketing for the travel guides across India and the globe.

    On other days I’m a hands-on writer and I might be on the ground researching content for the next book. This generally involves talking with in-the-know locals – whether they’re chefs, artists, designers, architects, diplomats, flower sellers, foreign correspondents or taxi drivers. I then explore all of these recommendations and bump into many others. Each and every entry in the book is experienced, and for each one that makes it into the book, five don’t.
       
  3. In your role, what are the highlights of working with different cultures?
    I’m exposed to an abundance of new ideas and fresh ways of viewing the world. I am fortunate to meet interesting people doing seriously interesting things. It is wonderful to have a ringside view of the future.

  4. How do you manage the cultural differences?
    With varying levels of success. On a good day, India will engage, stimulate and educate me. On a bad day it is hugely frustrating and I feel like I’m from a different planet.

    I hope with more time in India I am learning patience and tolerance. I believe that living in India is not about an external journey, but rather, the journey inside.

  5. What do you enjoy most about living in Bangalore?
    I love the sensual nature of the country; the colours, the flowers and the passion for life. I’m also committed to my yoga practice (my headstand is now over 2 minutes!) so India is perfect for this.

    I’ve been a resident in India for almost six years now and when I leave it feels like someone has turned the volume down and flicked the switch from colour to black and white.
     
  6. Looking forward, how can Australia make a stronger contribution to positive relations with Japan?
    I think by expanding our relationship beyond just traditional trade and sport. I would like to see a vibrant creative network that celebrates and encourages innovative partnerships between Australia and Asia that result in shared success across the creative industries as well as building deep understanding and connections between cultures.

    I would like this creative network to include people from the fields of technology, entertainment and design. It should include architecture, fashion, food, music, film, theatre, literature, journalism, photography, event design and tourism.