About

James was born in Scotland and was fortunate enough to see much of the world from a young age thanks to his father’s military career. A graduate of Cambridge University, his studies in Linguistics took him to the South Pacific in 1996, where he was instantly captivated by the rich variety of languages and cultures found in the region. He spent over 20 years living and working on Easter Island and was the British Honorary Consul there between 2009 and 2023.

In 2010, he wrote the guidebook, ‘A Companion to Easter Island’, which is currently available in seven languages: English, French, Spanish, German, Italian, Portuguese, and Japanese.

Since 2022, he has dedicated himself to providing worldwide travel enrichment, both as a public speaker and as an author, with his unique ‘Travel Enrichment Series’.

Primarily a maritime historian, James’ unusual career has led to a wide array of specialities and interests, ranging from the history of Polynesia to the construction of the Panama Canal. He has been a regular speaker on board cruise ships and online, as well as at schools and universities, and offers a relaxed lecturing style that blends the educational with the entertaining.

When not lecturing, James still owns his own private tour company on Easter Island, offering unforgettable visits to one of the world’s most remote inhabited islands. More information about the range of services that we offer can be found here: http://www.easterislandspirit.com/