Visit my Contently portfolio
See a selection of my work and how it fares on social media
About Me
Freelance Writer Based in Asia since 2007. Proud to cover the road less travelled.
Malaysia Expert Travel Writer in English
Marco Ferrarese is an expert on Malaysia and Borneo. He co-authored guidebooks on Malaysia, Brunei and Thailand for The ROUGH GUIDES, and published a novel and several non-fiction books. He has written more than 100 articles on travel, culture and extreme music in Asia for a variety of international publications that include Travel + Leisure Southeast Asia, CNN Travel, BBC Travel, The Guardian, National Geographic Traveler (UK), South China Morning Post, NIKKEI Asian Review, Roads & Kingdoms, Southeast Asia Globe, Perceptive Travel, Time Out, Bangkok101, Vagabonding, and Penang Monthly.
Selected Clips
My work encompasses both the worlds of high-end, luxury travel and savvy, off-the-beaten-path adventure
Breathing new life into Asia-Pacific indigenous arts
from NIKKEI ASIAN REVIEW
Reconsidering Turkey: Why the Time to Go is Now
from ROUGH GUIDES
Rock’n’Roll Damnation in Malaysia and Indonesia
from MEKONG REVIEW
Adventurer sparks Eurasian rebirth of hiking tourism
from NIKKEI ASIAN REVIEW
5 Underrated Cities in Southeast Asia that Tourists Don’t Visit
from ROUGH GUIDES
The Godmakers of Kolkata
from NIKKEI Asian Review
The Game That’s Saving Italy’s Dialects
from BBC TRAVEL
Where to Beat the Crowds in Malaysia
from ROUGH GUIDES
9 Reasons to Visit Western Iran
from ROUGH GUIDES
15 of the Best Train Trips in Asia
from DK EYEWITNESS TRAVEL
Motorbiking on Vietnam’s Hidden Loop
from TRAVELLER.COM.AU / SYDNEY MORNING HERALD
Life on Earth’s Biggest Pressure Cooker
from BBC Travel
Noh theater Extends boundaries
from NIKKEI ASIAN REVIEW
9 Tips for Backpacking Malaysia
from ROUGH GUIDES
North Borneo’s Undiscovered Beaches
from THE GUARDIAN
Two Years After the Earthquake on the Indigenous Peoples Trail
from THE GUARDIAN
9 Good Reasons to Visit Penang
from CNN Travel
Potehi: Glove Puppet Theatre of Penang
from NIKKEI Asian Review
Thaipusam Controversy Divides Malaysian Hindus
from NIKKEI Asian Review
The Vietnamese Paper that Lasts 800 Years
from BBC TRAVEL
Hiking Nepal’s Less Visited Trail
from PERCEPTIVE TRAVEL
Roadtripping in Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan
from TRAVEL + LEISURE Southeast Asia
The Definitive Guide to Kuching
From Singapore Airlines SILVERKRIS
On the trail of Anthony Burgess in Kuala Kangsar
From South China Morning Post
Driving Malaysia’s East Coast
From Travel + Leisure Southeast Asia
Mystical Maligcong
From Travel + Leisure Southeast Asia
Malaysia’s Secret Heritage Site
From BBC Travel
Meet Malaysia’s Anti fascist Skinheads
From Southeast Asia Globe
The secret world of punk on the Singapore-Johor highway
From South China Morning Post
An ascent of Sri Lanka’s holy mountain
From CNN Travel
7 great places for live music in Kuala Lumpur
from Singapore Airlines' SILVERKRIS
Discovering Perak, Malaysia’s overlooked tourism gem
from Southeast Asia Globe
MY SERVICES
I am available to write engaging travel and culture content for a wide range of media. I also take up speaking engagements, both popular and academic.
Adventure Travel
Ferrarese visited more than 60 countries and overlanded twice from Asia to his native Italy. From hitchhiking along the Silk Road, traversing Russia on the Trans-Siberian railway, or meeting remote tribes on the flanks of South and Southeast Asia, he probably has a story that will delight your readership.
Lifestyle and Nightlife
Besides off the beaten path destinations, Ferrarese has ample experience covering the most recent lifestyle and nightlife trends, in Malaysia and around the Southeast Asian region.
His lifestyle stories regularly appear in publications such as Travel + Leisure Southeast Asia, Singapore Airline’s Silverkris and others.
Public Speaking
With a decade experience as a touring punk rock musician and a background in language teaching and academia (he holds a PhD in Anthropology), Ferrarese is an engaging motivational speaker. Among others, he has spoken at Universiti Malaya Kuala Lumpur, the Asia Research Institute of NUS and the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies in Singapore, and a smorgasbord of other bars, clubs and venues big and small.
CLIENT REFERRALS
Read what editors think of working with me.
Helen Abramson – Senior Editor
"Marco is always a pleasure to work with. His research is thorough, his enthusiasm infectious, and his desire to share the best hidden secrets of a destination makes his work stand out from the crowd. Quick to respond to queries, he is always willing to go the extra mile – on the ground and on paper."
Jeninne Lee-St. John – Deputy Editor
"Beyond being an intrepid traveler, Marco is a diligent reporter. He not only discovers little-known places that fascinate our readers, but also comes back armed with all the important details to help them get there most easily and have a smooth trip. He’s efficient, adventurous, and a delight to work with. "
Nathan Thornburgh – Publisher
"I can't say I've ever come across a foreign correspondent quite like Marco Ferrarese. He's a real-life punk rocker with a sharp eye for detail and, even more important, a genuine respect for the hopes and aspirations of southeast Asia. Marco doesn't just tell his stories: he lives them. "
Tim Leffel – Editor
"I have published multiple travel narratives from Marco for our decade-old, award-winning online magazine. He is great at finding unique angles and digging below the surface for an interesting travel story. He also meets his deadlines!"
Julia Tan – Deputy Editor
"Witty with a punch, Ferrarese’s flamboyant style never fails to add flair to otherwise overlooked subjects. His ability to unearth enthralling stories, his unending thirst to trawl the streets for the intriguing, is remarkable and makes a local like myself embarrassed to admit that the Italian knows my city better than I ever will."
Craig Sauers – Former Managing Editor
"Marco’s stories read like music. Whether he’s recounting his impressions of far-flung outposts or revealing the vibrant peoples and cultures that largely go ignored on the well-trodden track, he writes with fervor, energy, and rhythm. I always look forward to seeing where Marco will go next."