Deborah Jane Slinger

Some people call me a gypsy. Maybe they’re right. I’ve spent more than 30 years in the outdoor education world, which means I’ve clocked over a thousand nights sleeping under the stars, hiking through wild terrain, paddling remote rivers, and soaking up the kind of silence you only hear when the world is stripped back to its essentials. These days, I still love rolling out a sleeping bag… though I’ll admit I’ve softened into a fair-weather camper. Creature comforts have earned their place but the urge to roam? That’s never faded. I’m an avid traveller, like many of us are. But the reason I travel is what sets my compass. I don’t chase landmarks, bucket lists or rigid itineraries. I chase conversations. I seek out dusty backstreets and family-run cafés. I talk to stallholders, buskers, schoolteachers, artists, aunties running community kitchens, and the quiet changemakers who hold a place together. I want to know what drives them. What challenges them. What keeps them hopeful. What they dream about when the world isn’t looking. That curiosity, that love of people and their lived stories, is the engine behind everything I write.

Stories Are Meant to Be Shared I’ve written books, travelled widely, gathered moments, and listened deeply. But what makes my storytelling different is simple: I don’t write from the outside looking in - I write from alongside. I’ve written books, travelled widely, gathered moments, and listened deeply. But what makes my storytelling different is simple: Whether I’m in a café in Guatemala, a market in Mexico, a roadside eatery in the Balkans, or a suburban spot here in Melbourne, I step into people’s stories with care, curiosity, and the belief that every voice matters. Sometimes that curiosity becomes a service. I’m occasionally hired as a mystery reviewer. Businesses engage me quietly to assess not just their customer experience, but their:

• premises and presentation
• products and menus
• tour experiences and guiding quality
• staff interactions
• brand story and authenticity It’s not about catching anyone out, it’s about helping them shine, refine, and align with what they promise the world. And now, through this new space on micro.blog, I want to bring you with me, not as an audience, but as fellow wanderers. If You’d Like to Follow the Journey… If you enjoy my storytelling, café adventures, honest reviews, or the way I highlight the people behind the places, you can find me here: Instagram - The Wandering Reviewer instagram.com/thewander… Facebook - The Wandering Reviewer www.facebook.com/thewander… These platforms hold years of stories, photos, food discoveries, and the kind of encounters that make travelling, near or far, worth every step.

Looking for Honest Reviews or Creative Collaboration? If you’re a café, small business, tourism operator, or creative project looking for:

• Authentic, thoughtful, beautifully written reviews
• Photography with heart
• Human-centred storytelling
• Spotlighting your people, place, or purpose I’d love to work with you. My past collaborations have been meaningful, warm, and successful and my clients often tell me they value my honesty, professionalism, and ability to capture the soul of a place. You can reach out anytime via Instagram or Facebook DM.

A Final Note: Thank you for reading. Thank you for being here. And thank you for believing, as I do, that stories, real stories, can change how we see the world and each other. Here’s to roaming. Here’s to listening. Here’s to the small moments that become big ones. And here’s to us, wandering, noticing, and writing it all down.