Most people travel as a break from their normal life, to get away from their jobs, relax, and snap photos of famous tourist sights.
There’s absolutely nothing wrong with this, but there are others for whom travel isn’t a holiday from life. It’s a core part of who they are and these three travel writing tips are for them…
1. Realize that you can work from anywhere
Congratulations on being alive in the 21st century! Despite what you may read on the news, it’s a fantastic time to be a traveler. Thanks to the internet, you can work from anywhere online, and that means you can redefine your boundaries about what counts as work and what counts as travel.
Imagine yourself sitting in a café overlooking the Lisbon coast or in a quiet cantina in Mexico, writing an article or submitting your travel photography to editors. Now ask yourself: Is that work or travel? The fact is, it’s both, and that attitude is the key to becoming a full-time traveler.
2. Understand the core marketable skills that you have to offer
Maybe it’s writing or maybe it’s food. Maybe it’s photography or maybe it’s all things medicine. There are things you know and understand that make you unique. What are they?
When you understand what your skills are (or you work hard to gain skills in a certain area), you’ll be able to increase your income by narrowing down the field in which you work and becoming a key expert in that one area.
I, for example, started out my current consulting business as a website copywriter, combining my understanding of digital marketing with a passion for writing. Some people can write, and other people know how eCommerce works, but there are fewer people with both skills and this is where I excel.
What is it that makes you unique? What is it about your perspective on the world that makes your articles and photography stand out? Answer this, and your income will thrive.
3. Travel slower to get more done
The tricky part of being a full-time traveler is also the most exciting part about leaving your cozy, familiar home in the first place.
When you arrive somewhere new, perhaps exhausted after a long journey, perhaps stunned by a strange, incomprehensible language, then everything is more difficult. A simple task like buying a multi-plug or power adapter that would take just a few minutes at home becomes a Homeric mission that can take half a day.
Realize that the longer you stay in one place, the more efficient you become. You’ll start to learn which cafés have good WiFi, which bars are quiet enough to write in, how to get a quick, cheap local meal without using the guidebook. You may form a network of locals or fellow travelers who can assist and encourage you professionally. You get lost less frequently and get things done faster.
Becoming a full-time traveler means keeping the excitement of the journey alive while continuing to be productive and get things done. Realize that you can work from anywhere, understand your core skills, and travel slower than your average tourist on a wine-tasting tour, and it is absolutely possible for you to become someone for whom travel isn’t a break from life, but a way of life itself.
[Editor’s Note: Learn more about how you can fund your travels and make an extra income with photography, travel writing, blogging, and more in our free online newsletter The Right Way to Travel. Sign up here today and we’ll send you a new report, Five Fun Ways To Get Paid To Travel: A Quick-Start Guide, completely FREE.]