What is one thing David loves about his job?

W：David, what do you like and dislike about your job?
M：At the beginning it was very exciting, knowing that my opinions and experiences would end up in print. Also researching a book forced me to explore places I might not visit. However, it can get lonely. Sometimes I spend three or four months travelling on my own without the opportunity to hang around and form relationships. Every time I get back, I say to myself “never again”. The next eight or nine months back at home, writing can be a pretty intense experience too.
W：Doesn’t it feel like you’re on holiday?
M：When you’re abroad, it’s the opposite of a holiday—you get up early and don’t stop all day. Everything you see and feel may sink into the book, so it’s important to note down all the details. It’s enjoyable but absolutely exhausting, and when you’re really tired, it’s easy to get ill.
W：Do you try to remain undercover as much as possible?
M：Yes, but it’s not always possible. I’ve done several books on Goa, and I’m pretty well known there. I try not to tell restaurants to avoid special treatment, but being known can sometimes be advantageous. Chatting with hotel bosses can give me local details that make a guide seem less like it’s written by someone just passing through. I also get a lot of people asking to be included, but you have to write a dependable book, and that comes first.
W：What qualities do you think to be a good guidebook writer?
M：It’s essential that you enjoy going to new places and gathering information. You should be like a sponge, absorbing all sorts of cultural and sociological information. And you must love language. Mainly, though, you need to cope with being on your own and be able to put up with not having much money.
W：Is the pay that bad?
M：Yes! You get a portion of your royalties in advance, which just covers your expenses on the trip, but not much more. After that it just depends on how many people buy the book.