There are many reasons why travel writing is a great job. I listed some of them in this article. If you are an aspiring travel writer then hopefully these benefits will motivate you to achieve your goal, or you might recognize some of them, if you already out there on the road.
Being location independent is one of the reasons why travel writing is so great. Over the years I have had many offices. Imagine the difference in feeling when you are sitting behind a desk in a boring cubicle, or you sit in a tropical bar while being surrounded by mountains and a lush green jungle.
Imagine sitting on the beach under a coconut tree. The waves roll quietly against the sand, a gentle sea breeze is playing with your hair, a gradually fading sun paints red and orange colors on the white clouds, its colorful creation reflected on the infinite ocean. Do I have to motivated you more? This is the main reason why I like travel writing. I still need to work but man the view in my office.
There is nobody who is going to tell me what I need to do. I only need to close down my laptop when I want to to quit working, and then I often have to walk just a few steps till I reach my bed. I choose the time and duration of my breaks and I choose when I want to work. If I don’t want to work, then that is fine as well.
Yes sometimes I have deadlines for my articles, but that is only because I took the tasks. I really don’t have to if I don’t want to. I can choose my own work, and therefore I don’t need to do useless or frustrating tasks. I can not get fired and I also don’t have to dress appropriately. I can just work in my green monkey printed pajama while loudly singing Lady Gaga songs.
My most important assets are my experiences. The more exiting my travel experiences are, the more likely I will entertain my readers. Therefore I often go out looking for adventures, and because of my willingness to step into something crazy I usually succeed. I get to see beautiful places or meet extraordinary people. All amazing experiences, and it is great that I am able to document all those moments while travel writing.
I am able to document large parts of my live because I often write about my own experiences. Visiting my blog often makes me realize how much memorable things I already did, when I see that large number of posts. Of course without documenting I would have memories as well, but on my blog they become more touchable and visible, in great detail and in large numbers.
Reading my own blog makes me feel more satisfied about my live. Time flies and seemingly unimportant experiences can often been forgotten. Being able to document them is satisfying and gives my live more meaning. Time seems to slow down when I pay attention to details. Being able to remember the details, and not only the large chunks, is important for me. It is one of the reasons why I like to write .
I will not lie. Travel writing can be difficult. But it also has many benefits. I only need are a laptop and internet. I don’t need an office or expensive machines, and therefore I have a limited amount of taxes to do. I don’t like complicated work. However, as a writer, my main task is getting words onto a screen or a paper. It is not rocket science. Not at all.
What do you like about being a travel writer, or why do you want to become one?