Writing is one of the most travel-friendly careers out there. You don’t have to be in a particular setting to write; you just need the right tools. Many writers or authors work from home or enjoy a nomadic lifestyle when working. However, when you’re seeing the world, it can be challenging to find time to do your job! While it’s not the worst problem, no work means no income—and less traveling. Knowing the best practices to balance work and leisure during your travels is ideal.
Include Writing in Your Itinerary
The most efficient way to travel is according to a schedule known as an itinerary. An itinerary lets you plan your travel days according to time and what you want to do. A good itinerary allows for plenty of leisure time and rest; for writers, an itinerary should include some mandatory writing time. You’re free to write in any location you please—a gorgeous cafe in Venice or a safari on the African plains—as long as you’re able to feel productive and inspired.
Write Every Day
It may feel challenging to write every day when you’re in a gorgeous new city or country with so many sights to see. However, practicing your craft daily can help you stay sharp and focused. Even if you don’t work on your project every day, writing small samples or snippets of text can help. Warm-up techniques like freewriting, answering questions, or filling prompts can be used. If you feel inspired after your warm-up or daily writing session, you can keep writing for as long as you’d like.
Hire a Team
If you want to reduce your workload and focus only on travel and writing, you must learn how to get an agent for your writing. An agent will submit and market your manuscripts to publishers for you, so you only have to worry about what you’ll write and where you’ll travel next. If you’re self-publishing or looking for smaller writing jobs, you can utilize an editor to help you submit exceptional writing without extra work on your end. Many writing teams are happy to work remotely, so you can still enjoy travel while enjoying the benefits of a team behind you. If you’re more of a self-editor, you can find remote work that allows you to submit writing to an in-house editing team.
Photo by Yan Krukau
Bring Travel-Friendly Tools
When traveling, light and compatible writing tools will be your best friend. You shouldn’t have to carry a bulky device or deal with inadequate internet service.
Smaller Devices
Traveling light includes your writing devices, too. You don’t need a huge typewriter or a bulky computer. Bring a light writing laptop like a small Chromebook, a tablet with a keyboard attachment, or even your smartphone for the lightest writing experience. Your writing device should be easy to use and comfortable, however.
Cloud Storage
Local storage for your writing is limiting, and it can take up space in hard drives, flash drives, and more. While having multiple backup choices for your writing is smart, consider implementing cloud storage while you write. Cloud storage is digital, meaning you don’t have to worry about bulky hard drives or backing up your work manually. You can save as you write, and cloud storage allows your writing to be accessible from any device that can log in to your cloud.
Connectivity
You may need better phone service or internet access depending on where you travel. You can improve your chances of connectivity by implementing an excellent international phone plan equipped with an internet hotspot that can be turned on whenever needed. While this won’t totally eliminate connectivity issues, it can significantly reduce them.
Batteries and Chargers
You never know where writing inspiration may strike, and you may not have access to an electrical outlet or charging station. While traveling, bring some backup batteries and charging cables for your writing device. Batteries can charge your device without an electrical outlet in sight.
Travel Inspiration
If you’re feeling writer’s block or a lack of motivation to write while seeing the world, you can use your inspiration as a prompt or writing topic. Your travels can be an asset instead of the enemy of your productivity. Take notes and photos of beautiful places you visit to incorporate them into your writing. You don’t need to be a travel writer to write about the beauty around you.
Know Your Ideal Workspace
You’re moving around a lot when traveling, and writing in the same place twice is probably a rare occurrence. For this reason, you will need to figure out where you’re most productive. If you write well in a quiet, low-distraction environment, you can use this information to select future workspaces, such as a peaceful park or secluded cafe corner. If you prefer the hustle and bustle of the world around you, you may find your ideal workplace is a louder and busier environment. There’s no wrong place to work if you’re focused and productive.
Writing is one of the most travel-friendly careers out there. You don’t have to be in a particular setting to write; you just need the right tools. Many writers or authors work from home or enjoy a nomadic lifestyle when working. However, when you’re seeing the world, it can be challenging to find time to do your job! While it’s not the worst problem, no work means no income—and less traveling. Knowing the best practices to balance work and leisure during your travels is ideal.
Include Writing in Your Itinerary
The most efficient way to travel is according to a schedule known as an itinerary. An itinerary lets you plan your travel days according to time and what you want to do. A good itinerary allows for plenty of leisure time and rest; for writers, an itinerary should include some mandatory writing time. You’re free to write in any location you please—a gorgeous cafe in Venice or a safari on the African plains—as long as you’re able to feel productive and inspired.
Write Every Day
It may feel challenging to write every day when you’re in a gorgeous new city or country with so many sights to see. However, practicing your craft daily can help you stay sharp and focused. Even if you don’t work on your project every day, writing small samples or snippets of text can help. Warm-up techniques like freewriting, answering questions, or filling prompts can be used. If you feel inspired after your warm-up or daily writing session, you can keep writing for as long as you’d like.
Hire a Team
If you want to reduce your workload and focus only on travel and writing, you must learn how to get an agent for your writing. An agent will submit and market your manuscripts to publishers for you, so you only have to worry about what you’ll write and where you’ll travel next. If you’re self-publishing or looking for smaller writing jobs, you can utilize an editor to help you submit exceptional writing without extra work on your end. Many writing teams are happy to work remotely, so you can still enjoy travel while enjoying the benefits of a team behind you. If you’re more of a self-editor, you can find remote work that allows you to submit writing to an in-house editing team.
Bring Travel-Friendly Tools
When traveling, light and compatible writing tools will be your best friend. You shouldn’t have to carry a bulky device or deal with inadequate internet service.
Smaller Devices
Traveling light includes your writing devices, too. You don’t need a huge typewriter or a bulky computer. Bring a light writing laptop like a small Chromebook, a tablet with a keyboard attachment, or even your smartphone for the lightest writing experience. Your writing device should be easy to use and comfortable, however.
Cloud Storage
Local storage for your writing is limiting, and it can take up space in hard drives, flash drives, and more. While having multiple backup choices for your writing is smart, consider implementing cloud storage while you write. Cloud storage is digital, meaning you don’t have to worry about bulky hard drives or backing up your work manually. You can save as you write, and cloud storage allows your writing to be accessible from any device that can log in to your cloud.
Connectivity
You may need better phone service or internet access depending on where you travel. You can improve your chances of connectivity by implementing an excellent international phone plan equipped with an internet hotspot that can be turned on whenever needed. While this won’t totally eliminate connectivity issues, it can significantly reduce them.
Batteries and Chargers
You never know where writing inspiration may strike, and you may not have access to an electrical outlet or charging station. While traveling, bring some backup batteries and charging cables for your writing device. Batteries can charge your device without an electrical outlet in sight.
Travel Inspiration
If you’re feeling writer’s block or a lack of motivation to write while seeing the world, you can use your inspiration as a prompt or writing topic. Your travels can be an asset instead of the enemy of your productivity. Take notes and photos of beautiful places you visit to incorporate them into your writing. You don’t need to be a travel writer to write about the beauty around you.
Know Your Ideal Workspace
You’re moving around a lot when traveling, and writing in the same place twice is probably a rare occurrence. For this reason, you will need to figure out where you’re most productive. If you write well in a quiet, low-distraction environment, you can use this information to select future workspaces, such as a peaceful park or secluded cafe corner. If you prefer the hustle and bustle of the world around you, you may find your ideal workplace is a louder and busier environment. There’s no wrong place to work if you’re focused and productive.
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