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Wikivoyage administrator
Wikivoyage administrator

Hello, world! I'm ThunderingTyphoons!, or "Jamie", as people in real life tend to call me, when they're being nice. I come from Hampshire in the United Kingdom, with family roots in Liverpool and Cardiff. A graduate of the University of Sheffield, I have been a fully committed francophile for as long as I can remember.

As of 15 January 2024, I have been a Wikivoyager for eleven years and I am a bureaucrat on the administrative team.

  • If you need help with anything at all, please leave a message on my talk page.
  • If there's something you need to discuss in private, email me in strictest confidence.

My work on Wikivoyage

Babel user information
en-N This user has a native understanding of English.
fr-3 Cet utilisateur dispose de connaissances avancées en français.
es-2 Este usuario tiene un conocimiento intermedio del español.
cy-1 Mae'r defnyddiwr hwn yn medru'r Gymraeg ar lefel sylfaen.
Users by language

Sandbox

I prefer to work on destination articles related to the United Kingdom and France, though I also patrol recent changes and my watchlist. Many of the weirder Discover facts you read will have been chosen by me. Pages I have created (bold) and / or have contributed extensively to:

Rather annoyingly, my 10,000th edit on Wikivoyage, usually a milestone to celebrate, was undoing vandalism to my own userpage. Ten thousand thundering typhoons!

Thoughts on editing

As an editor, I enjoy:

  • writing in lively style about places I know.
  • finding new facts for Wikivoyage:Discover all over the world's best travel guide.
  • writing article leads.
  • contributing to history, transport and food-related articles and sections.
  • welcoming new users to Wikivoyage.

I think the following aspects of editing are tedious but necessary:

  • adding images
  • adding listings (seriously)
  • copy-editing
  • dealing with problematic edits
  • anything to do with impossible-to-remember but damn useful templates

Things you won't find me doing:

  • doing "technical" things - my programming skills are nonexistent
  • making a static map - see above
  • working on anything related to the United States - we have a large number of fine American editors who are brilliant at what they do, so a destination article for just about anywhere else in the world is much more in need of my time.
The Wikivoyage Barncompass
Next to excellence is the appreciation of it. So here is your medal of appreciation. We need ten thousand thundering typhoons like you! Well done Jamie. Saqib (talk) 14:27, 3 March 2015 (UTC)
The Wikivoyage Barncompass
For being willing and able to change your mind, and for having the courage to say so. Happy and successful communities depend upon people like you. WhatamIdoing (talk) 03:29, 1 November 2017 (UTC)
The Wikivoyage Barncompass
Great work on handling outdated docent notices. ---Selfie City (talk | contributions) 00:29, 23 August 2018 (UTC)
Barnstar of Good Humor
Thank you for making me smile today. Whatamidoing (WMF) (talk) 18:30, 9 April 2020 (UTC)
The Wikivoyage Barncompass
I just read the Stratford-upon-Avon article, and the quotes are a great touch. What a delightful theme for that article. —Granger (talk · contribs) 16:04, 15 August 2020 (UTC)
The Wikivoyage Barncompass
I am giving you this for all your hard work on Wikivoyage, although this is Wikipedia and I am mostly found here. Cupper52 (talk) 17:17, 16 December 2020 (UTC)
The Original Barnstar
Thank you for helping me! I saw that you had a barnstar and thought I'd give you a second one. 82.3.185.12 14:12, 23 December 2020 (UTC)
The Wikivoyage Barncompass
This Barncompass is for helping me creating those new articles. I also saw you were collecting them. 82.3.185.12 14:14, 23 December 2020 (UTC)
The Kiwi Barncompass
For making, maintaining and keeping Oamaru to Dunedin avoiding State Highway 1. Hope I can use that route when I go to New Zealand next year. --08:25, 12 April 2021 (UTC)
The Sysop's Barncompass
This Barncompass is to show appreciation for your great work on being a great admin on Wikivoyage and reverting the Projects guy's harassment and vandalism.--SHB2000 (talk contribs en.wikipedia) 05:47, 21 April 2021 (UTC)

Trips

Visited

United Kingdom Italy France Spain Portugal Greece Singapore New Zealand Turkey Croatia Bosnia and Herzegovia Ireland Falkland Islands Hungary Poland Montenegro Monaco Germany Switzerland Canada United States

Passed through

Ascension Island Jersey Guernsey Iceland

Current

Canada Canada

AB
BC

Recent

United States WA

  • October 2024: Seattle long weekend in the real Emerald City (and met the Cowardly Lion. No, that is not a euphemism or a drugs thing).

France

  • January 2024: retour à Paris

England

France Brittany Normandy

Scotland England

England

England

  • January 2023: Bristol "normal" weekend

Portugal

  • September-October 2022: The Algarve - postponed since 2020

Germany

Wales

Trips made earlier than two years ago are stored in my trips archive. Because I'm thoroughly anal like that.

Pointless lists to do with my own travels that I find interesting

Travel records

(table shamelessly stolen from Andrewssi2)

My recordsPlaceFigure
NorthernmostIceland Reykjavík-Keflavík Airport63.59° N
SouthernmostFalkland Islands Sea Lion Island52.26° S
EasternmostNew Zealand Taupo176.06° E
WesternmostCanada East Sooke Regional Park123.42° W
Closest to the equatorSingapore Singapore1.29° N
HighestNew Zealand Fox Glacier3,000 m (9,800 ft) above sea level
LowestEngland Channel Tunnel France115 m (377 ft) below sea level
Furthest inlandCanada Edmonton793 km (493 mi) from Howe Sound
Longest flightSingle plane: England RAF Brize Norton (BZZ IATA) — Falkland Islands RAF Mount Pleasant (MPN IATA)
Multiple planes: New Zealand Christchurch (CHC IATA) — England London Heathrow (LHR IATA)
13,000 km (8,100 mi)
19,000 km (12,000 mi)
Longest sea voyageEngland PlymouthSpain Santander770 km (480 mi)
Longest rail journeySingle train: Canada EdmontonVancouver (Pacific Central)
Multiple trains: England Farnborough (Main) — France Tours (Gare de Tours)
1,245 km (774 mi)
790 km (490 mi)
Longest road journeyEngland FarnboroughSpain Barcelona1,600 km (990 mi)
Longest walkEngland SouthamptonPortsmouth on the Solent Way40 km (25 mi) / 9 hr
Longest border crossingCroatia Karasovići (Dubrovnik-Neretva) / Montenegro Debeli Brijeg (Herceg Novi)90 min / 2.2 km (1.4 mi)

Most-memorable travel experiences

20 August 1944

Two local men were caught stealing a bomb from a munitions factory. As punishment, they were taken by Nazi soldiers and shut in the factory to be blown up with it... Read more

Cream tea wars

Devon and Cornwall are divided not just by the Tamar, but by the proper way to prepare scones... Read more

Culture shock

In some cases, culture shock is unavoidable, but learning to recognise it in yourself is the first step to overcoming it. Contributing factors include... Read more

Le Beaujolais nouveau est arrivé !

Every third Thursday of November, the new Beaujolais wine arrives at bars and restaurants across France... Read more

Quelle cuisson ?

A common question when ordering meat in Francophone countries (especially steak) is how long you want it cooked for: bleu, à point, or bien cuit? Read more

The girl beneath the Gherkin

In 1995, during construction of the Gherkin skyscraper, the skeleton of a young girl was unearthed... Read more

The Highgate vampire

align

'Whip-Ma-Whop-Ma' what?

York is popularly known as a place "where the streets are gates, the gates are bars, and the bars are pubs!"... Read more

Countries I have been to

I have been very lucky so far in my life to have done a lot of travelling. I have set foot in 25 countries around the world, mainly in Europe, though I have also visited Asia and Oceania and done my fair share of Atlantic islands:

Ascension Island

Bosnia and Herzegovina / Bosna i Hercegovina

Canada

Croatia / Hrvatska

Falkland Islands

France

Brittany / Breizh / Bertaèyn / Bretagne
Occitania / Occitània / Occitanie

Germany / Deutschland

Greece / Ελλάδα (Crete / Κρήτη)

Hungary / Magyarország

Iceland / Ísland

Ireland / Éire

Italy / Italia

Monaco / Múnegu

Montenegro / Crna Gora / Цpнa Гopa

New Zealand / Aotearoa

Poland / Polska

Portugal (including Madeira)

Singapore / Singapura / 新加坡 / சிங்கப்பூர்

Spain / España (including the Balearic Islands / Islas Baleares / Illes Balears and the Canary Islands / Islas Canarias)

Basque Country / Euskadi / País Vasco / Pays Basque
Catalonia / Catalunya / Cataluña

Switzerland / Schweiz / Suisse / Svizzera

Turkey / Türkiye

United Kingdom

England / En-ger-land
Cornwall / Kernow
Scotland / Alba
Wales / Cymru

United States of America

Cities of the world I have been to

English counties I have set foot in

All counties I have set foot in rather than simply passed through, and not nearly as exciting a list as 'how many U.S. states I've set foot in':

Travel wishlist (no particular order)