Writer Justin Fox on the sexy Stans, 'obscene' Alps & his 'secret' Cape Town

I started my career as an English academic teaching at UCT, but soon got itchy feet, wanting to travel the world. So I took a job as a junior photojournalist at a travel magazine, which set me on the path of travel writing. Twenty-six years later, I’m still at it, still travelling, still got those terribly itchy feet.

Most of my holidays as a child were spent in a 200-year-old farmhouse on Red Hill above Simon’s Town. It has a big garden with stone terraces: vines, fig, lemon and olive trees. It looks and feels like the Mediterranean, with gorgeous views over False Bay. I spent my days on Water's Edge Beach, windsurfing, kayaking, snorkelling and dinghy sailing. It was, I suppose, a version of paradise.

When I was six years old, my parents took me to Europe for the first time. The trip culminated in Greece, where we spent quite some time on the islands of Patmos and Santorini. The journey left such a powerful impression on me that I think my subsequent career as a travel writer has its seeds in that holiday. And it gave me a passion for islands and boats.

Paris is my favourite international city. It's a city of grandeur and culture, of magnificent food, art and architecture. On a perfect day there, after waking, I’d amble down to the local boulangerie for a freshly baked croissant, then it’s off to one of the museums or galleries. My favourite is the Musée d’Orsay for its superb Impressionist and Post-Impressionist art, especially Cezanne and Gaugin. In the afternoon, perhaps a boat ride on the Seine or a wander through a Parisian garden (Jardin du Luxembourg is a favourite). In the evening, I’d climb the steps to Montmartre for stunning sunset views of the city and supper in a little bistro on Place du Tertre.

My best travel experience was on a winter press trip hosted by Swiss Tourism. We ended up at Iglu-Dorf ice hotel high on the slopes above Zermatt. We donned bathing costumes and walked out into the snow to the most spectacular jacuzzi. We wallowed in the bubbling tub drinking pink Champagne and watching the slopes of Mont Blanc turn equally pink as the sun set over the Alps. Obscenely decadent? You betcha.

Friendliest locals? A holiday on the “Lake of Stars” is made even more memorable by the kind, gentle and generous locals. It’s not for nothing that Malawi is called “the warm heart of Africa”.

Being a travel writer, I mostly travel solo. I sometimes take a friend or family member along if it’s a short, fun, journalistic trip, but if I’m researching for a book, it’s better to travel solo. Sitting alone at night beside a braai fire with a notebook and a glass or two of red wine can produce good material. The longest solo trip I’ve done is a two-month journey in a 4x4 around the edge of South Africa, tracing our country’s outline. The result was The Marginal Safari, a meditation on South Africa and my place in it.

• Fox is shortlisted for a Sunday Times Literary Award for his travelogue, Place: South African Literary Journeys (Umuzi). The winners will be announced on October 31.