Some might think that writing is a lonely job, but what if I told you that it can also be the gate to meeting new people, new countries, and new cultures? Yep. In my opinion, freelance writing is one of the best jobs to perform while traveling. In fact, traveling can almost become a must for most freelance writers!
But before I go on to point out the reasons why writing and travel go hand in hand, let me explain the most common ways to combine writing and travel.
Most common ways to combine writing and travel
Apart from writing articles or books about exotic destinations, there are many ways for freelance writers to combine their job with traveling. For example, freelance writers can travel the world…
- … as digital nomads. In this case, writing and travel become a lifestyle. A very different lifestyle from “the usual,” as you have no place to call home! Instead, you spend your life moving from one city to the other, meeting new people and discovering new destinations. In a way, the world becomes your home.
- Digital nomads live and work on the go, so you have to love it to be in constant change, but if you do, it can be a dream of a lifestyle!
- … as a part-time digital nomad. Other freelancers would love to spend their whole life nomading (me!) but they can’t right now, especially if they don’t live on their own. In my case, I’d love to be swapping countries and continents every other month, but I don’t do it because of my children, who love their school and don’t want to be constantly changing. So I couldn’t go on with my nomad life, but I do practice “part-time digital nomading”™️ – a term I invented myself 😅. Check out with I mean with part-time digital nomading and figure out whether this would be something you’d like to try!
- … as a break to their routine. What we all know as a trip anywhere! Like going on holiday with your laptop. So this is something you can do if you can’t or don’t want to take a break from writing but would like to know other places. Or maybe when you feel like spending a couple of days or weeks by yourself writing in front of a gorgeous beach or enjoying the calmness of the mountains.
Why freelance writing is one of the best jobs to travel the world at your own pace
Now that we’ve gone through the most common types of writing and travel, let me explain why I think that freelance writers have it very easy to travel the world while working:
- You can write from wherever you want to. You don’t need a specific workplace. In fact, you don’t need anything else than your PC and your inspiration! Maybe the Internet to do some research or to send your projects to customers, but not much more.
- You can search for the most motivating place for you to write. Do you need some nature around you? Looking over the ocean, feeling the peaceful mountains? Maybe you feel most inspired when you’re in the heart of a buzzing new city? Is it the sun what makes your creative juices flow? Or a cozy winter? Do you need 100% silence around you? Or what about working from a country house in the French Provence?
- Because as a writer you’re the boss of your own schedule, working from abroad shouldn’t stop you from delivering your best content! Besides, if you can work early in the morning or late at night, you could make many more breaks than usual to enjoy your new destination much more than you thought possible! This post about planning your schedule while traveling could be interesting!
- If you are a travel writer, you’ll need to experience new places, take pictures, talk to the locals, or do any other activity that you can gain a different perspective from.
- If you haven’t tried travel writing yet, it consists of writing about specific destinations for travel magazines, travel platforms like Lonely Planet, or working directly for travel-related companies.
- You could also write your travel experiences for your own book, for instance.
- If you run your own travel blog, you’ll also need to visit the places you talk about. Especially if you’d like to talk about hidden gems, special activities usually reserved for the locals, or different travel experiences for solo travelers, elderly couples, or families with small children. The reason why this kind of traveler may search for travel blogs is that they rely on your personal and unbiased opinions – something a corporate website won’t usually offer.
- Also, maybe you would like to write articles for magazines, online newspapers like the Huffington Post, or bigger platforms like Medium. And do you know any better idea than traveling to new places to see what is happening in the world? I thought so!
- Even if you “just” write opinion articles, a good idea to get inspiration is to change places and experience different traditions and lifestyles. This is one of the best ways to be able to build comparisons with what you know. It can spark new ideas to write about that you can adapt to your culture.
- This is also great for book authors! What’s the best way to create new atmospheres with your words than experiencing them in person for a longer period of time?
Why freelance writing is one of the best jobs to travel the world at your own pace
The downside of being away from a “traditional” workplace is that your focus can easily drop. The urge to discover new places, meet new people, or go out to try some yummy food can be bigger than you ever expected! And it makes sense… You wanted to travel the world to discover new things, not to sit at home typing… Even though typing is what took you there in the first place!
So how can you keep productive at your writing and yet enjoy your new destination? Planning and sticking to your plan! Stay tuned for next week’s post about discipline and planning for freelancers while traveling!
In the meantime, feel free to download this free task planner to help you plan your week. I hope you find it helpful!
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