Born in 1976 in London, England, Richard spent a large part of his formative childhood years moving from house to house about London, Portugal, France, Mexico and the USA as his ever gregarious parents took advantage of a burgeoning property market in each location.
After schooling in the UK and briefly in the US, Richard embarked on a career in journalism, cutting his teeth in the industry in Costa Rica before returning to the UK to study for an MA. He subsequently spent time with various UK media outlets before falling into a job at an NGO. The commute did not suit and Richard opted out and became an expedition guide, social projects coordinator and freelance journalist dividing his time between Bolivia, Brazil, Ecuador and Peru.
Then came some serious tropical illnesses which caused life to slow down a little, Richard settled in Colombia. He spends his time now between the guesthouses he opened in Mompos with his wife Alba – first in 2008, La Casa Amarilla and then the hotel San Rafael in 2019 – and Bogotá where he works as a journalist.
Having successfuly completed a Diploma in Resolución de Conflictos and a PhD in Ciencias Sociales y Humanas both at la Javeriana University in Bogotá, Colombia, he is now putting the finishing touches to a book about his experiences in his adopted home country and continuing to produce weekly episodes of the popular podcast: Colombia Calling.
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