Industry veteran Derek Moore has penned a book documenting his years on the road and the foundation of adventure tour operator Explore.
Moore, currently deputy chairman of The Specialist Travel Association (Aito), said he was inspired to write about his experiences of travel and the industry after the birth of his youngest son Derek, known as ‘Derek Junior’, in January 2020.
Moore, who was chairman of Aito for 14 years, and set up operator Explore in 1981, said: “The aim was to write a short resumé of my life to keep for DJ (Derek Junior), my little boy, to read when he is old enough.
“After all, since I am 75 and he is one, the chances of me being around when he is old enough to ask what his daddy’s life was all about are pretty slim.”
Moore, who wrote the book over a period of 10 months last year, now hopes to raise money for The Derek Moore Foundation, the charity he founded in 2019 to help struggling communities worldwide. Proceeds of sales of the book will go to the foundation. So far 80 copies have been sold.
The published book, ‘Tales of a Rogue on the Road – Travels laced with fun, adventure and a lot of luck’, covers 561 pages and includes maps, song lyrics and several pages of photographs.
The book is broadly in three parts. The first, called Before the Road, briefly covers Moore’s life before he started as a tour guide; the second, called On the Road’, traces the 13 years he spent travelling as a tour guide from 1968 to 1981; while the third, After the Road, includes the story of how he set up Explore.
Find out more about the charity here and email derek@thederekmoorefoundation to order a copy.