Why? It's the ultimate escape, an unvanquished Pacific island, 360 miles off the coast of Chile, volcanic and austere. Alexander Selkirk, a Scottish privateer, was marooned on its beach in 1704. He survived alone for four years and his story inspired Daniel Defoe to write Robinson Crusoe.

What's the best thing? The absence of city junk: no cars, no roads, no shops. Dinner is a fish from the sea.

My perfect day: A trek with four Chileans to Ramplones, which is a rugged bay on the south side of the island.

My advice: If there's something you can't live without, pack it. The fictional Crusoe had enough liquor for 28 years; Selkirk had two pounds of tobacco, a bible, a pistol and a cooking pot; I had a lifetime's supply of shower gel, body lotion and eau de toilette.

Getting there: BA (0845 7733377) flies London to Santiago via Buenos Aires from £749 return. Once in Chile, contact Aéreos Isla Robinson Crusoe (www.tairc.cl ). Its eight-seater plane flies from Los Cerrillos airport. It lands on the one flat bit of the island, a dirt strip at the eastern end. Then there's an hour's boat trip to the only settlement, San Juan Bautista.

• Selkirk's Island by Diana Souhami is published by Weidenfeld & Nicolson at £14.99.