I hate queues.

It’s not that I hate waiting, as such. I’m quite a patient person. It’s just that, when you travel, queues rarely seem to be for the things you actually like. You queue to check in for a flight, you queue for security, you queue to board the plane.

So why, when we finally get to a beautiful destination, do so many of us choose to wait in more queues to see things?

Well, I’m going to help you avoid those long lines. Not just by giving some suggestions to beat the crowds to the popular destinations, but by also showing you places that are just as incredible… but aren’t yet overrun by tourists.

Who am I?

I’m Michael Turtle and, ever since I was a kid, I have been telling stories. When I was in school, I ran the student newsletter and wrote a weekly column. At university, I was the deputy editor of our newspaper and interviewed high-profile people while we drank beer.

Then I worked for almost a decade as a television and radio reporter and newsreader at Australia’s national broadcaster, before working behind the scenes at the country’s number one television network, creating entertainment content.

But now I tell the stories of the world as I constantly travel from country to country with no official home. I have discovered so many things that you won’t find in guidebooks or brochures and I want to share them all with you.

What is Time Travel Turtle?

Time Travel Turtle is where I have collected all my stories from my travels. It’s a place for you to get inspired by how much there is to see and do in the world. It’s also somewhere that you can come to help plan your next trip.

I’ll introduce you to the people I meet along the way and let them tell their stories in their own words.

I will show you the incredible World Heritage Sites that are being protected – from old factories, to ancient temples, to prehistoric cave art. Not all of them are easy to get to!

I’ll take you on some pretty crazy experiences, like an expedition into the South American jungle to find a lost tribe, joining a festival in Japan dedicated to the male anatomy, or drinking juice made from putting frogs in a blender!

And I’ll give you plenty of practical information and tips so you can do it all yourself.

The most enjoyable and rewarding experiences I have had on my travels have not involved queues. They have been when I broke away from the crowds and spent time with a local, tried new food, and learned about a different culture. That is the true heart of travelling.

I look forward to you joining me on the journey.