Dea Birkett is a distinguished travel writer and broadcaster whose first travel book, Jella: A Woman At Sea, won the Somerset Maugham award and saw her shortlisted for Travel Writer of the Year. Other books include Off the Beaten Track: Three Centuries of Women Travellers, and Spinsters Abroad.


Dea, who had a weekly Travelling with Kids column in The Guardian for 5 year,  is Director of Kids in Museums, founded when her then 2-year-old son was thrown out of the Aztec exhibition at the Royal Academy for shouting ‘Monster!’ at a statue of Eagleman. Kids in Museums works with The Guardian on the Guardian Family Friendly Museum Award, the biggest museum award in Britain, judged by families.

Dea is also Creative Director of Many Rivers Films, making pioneering documentaries for Channel 4, and founded and runs Travel Writing Workshops, day-long workshops for aspiring travel writers.

Visit Dea's website.