In order to meet a tight publication date I started on the book of my latest journey almost as soon as I returned from Iraq. This meant no long recovery to get the sands of Iraq out of my hair but it also meant that I could start while the memories were fresh. For me the real insights of travel are in the details – faces glimpsed, sounds caught on the wind, tastes of dishes you’ve never eaten before, words exchanged over a mug of sweet tea, the shocks and surprises round every corner.

My diaries and tape recordings helped me experience again the day by day details of our thousand mile journey from Turkey through Iraq. But above all else, Into Iraq is a story. A story of the most amazing adventure.

Find out more: Into Iraq

Buy the book online: Into Iraq by Michael Palin