Other than three years studying in Brighton, Max has spent his whole life in London – which is perhaps why he gets out of there at every opportunity. He’s been to Las Vegas five times (and only missed two flights back); has briefly lived in Barbados and Florence; and would recommend the Siena Palio as a must on every bucket list. He still hasn’t found anywhere he prefers to London yet but he won’t stop trying.
What does a journey mean to you?
Physical transportation to the new. You might also get emotional transportation, if you’re lucky, or you know where to look.
Which country or location most inspires you?
Florence. If you can stand beneath the Duomo and not be inspired then I’m not sure travelling is for you. (Don’t bother queuing for entry, though: unlike the Tardis, it’s bigger on the outside.)
Where would you go back to, and why?
Oh, the Caribbean. Living done right. But then those beaches and that weather gives them an awfully big headstart.
Top insider tip for London?
Walk down to Butlers Wharf Pier on the Thames and look upriver: you’ll be able to see the Tower of London, Tower Bridge, HMS Belfast and the skyscrapers of the City. A thousand years of history – from the Norman Conquest to the Victorian age to World War II to the 21st-century – in a single snapshot. You can’t get that anywhere else. You just can’t.
What journey would you most like to go on?
My best friend and I have spoken for years – I’m talking, like, 15 – about doing a roadtrip across America. I still can’t drive and he now has a kid but one day we’ll get there – and head west.