When I first started my blog, I had a hard time visualizing what it was going to be. Was it going to be news and deals? Cool travel gadgets? Travel essays? A resource on breaking into travel writing? I realized I was having a hard time visualizing it because while I wanted my blog to have a certain tone and theme, I also wanted the articles to be all encompassing within the idea of travel being innovative and fulfilling.
I didn't think the Fulfilling Traveler would really strike a chord, so I stuck with The Innovative Traveler. It's not a sign that I think I am highly innovative, rather, it's meant to be a reflection on what travel really is and how it effects us. For most people I know who venture outside of their comfort zone in travel, it's a form of self-exploration in action. It's a way to connect and see what's out there and challenge the status quo. How many people could come back from an impoverished country unchanged? Or after seeing the Sistine Chapel? Or the red rocks of Sedona?
Most of my friends and colleagues who have an insatiable appetite for travel are also on the pursuit of living consciously. They're no longer content in their jobs or careers and think living a life that incorporates travel is out of reach. Many press trips I've attended are filled with writers and editors who started their own publications or began selling articles to very small publications. But those who are still looking to make the transition into travel are usually stuck because any of the following reasons:
- I won't have enough money to eat, let alone travel.
- I'm afraid to quit my job.
- I'm too old to forge a new career.
- I can't become a travel writer.
- My spouse won't let me.
All those fear-based reasons are seemingly valid at first, if they weren't, they wouldn't be keeping people tied down to a life they don't particularly enjoy. But eventually, people either give up on their dreams all together or finally start the process of self-exploration and action. And so I've found that most people who love to travel are also entrepreneurs. They're consciously seeking out ways to work from home, set their own schedule, work on the road, work in travel, or earn passive income so they can earn even when they're not 'working'.
Travel Entrepreneurs may not even be working in a travel industry, but they're angling their 'career' to be mobile and flexible enough to come and go without consequence. They are specifically looking to create a career they can do from anywhere in the world. Others are vying for an in to travel writing, travel photography, or touring of some kind. In my experience, forging a career path into travel really isn't any more difficult than implementing any other kind of life change. It just takes some effort and ingenuity, a clarity in vision, and persistence.
So let me break down some of the reasons people are still white-knuckling their 9-5 desk job and refusing the call of Travel:
I won't have enough money to eat, let alone travel
Highly doubtful. Eating is a primal instinct (and ramen noodles are somewhat gross, but cheap). I use to travel on a disposable income of about $300/month. This was after I paid bills, but before I ate anything. I made it work by taking advantage of free lunches at work, putting in overtime, planning vacations around 3 day weekends, saving and finding travel deals.
I'm afraid to quit my job
Okay. Well, whenever people tell me that, I respond with "I was more afraid to stay in a job that I was miserable in and miss out on the world." It is possible to make money and be fulfilled at the same time. If you like your job and want to travel, then start making very specific goals on how to make that happen whether with your own company, a different one, or through your own resources.
I'm too old to forge a new career I can't become a travel writer
Really? Huh. Plenty of retirees, middle-age, thirty-something year olds and onward become travel planners, tour guides, teach classes on cruise ships, and become travel writers and photographers every day.
You don't have to be, there's plenty of other jobs in tourism or mobile careers you can get into. But if you can write, you can write about travel. Try selling an article or travel tip sheet to local newspapers in your area. You may not land a feature with National Geographic your first try, but you'd be surprised that most local publications have a real need for content.
My spouse won't let me
That sounds like a convenient excuse. You should re-evaluate your relationship if your spouse isn't letting you pursue your dreams. Most likely, one or the both of you are stuck in fear.
Make a list of what you want out of a job. Is it what you already have, just with travel involved? Do you wan to be mobile, earn money in the travel industry, or find streams of passive income? Once you have a list narrowed down, start jotting down ideas on how to make that happen. Don't spend too much time thinking of the 'how' these ideas will work, just write them down. The how is often what kills the courage to implement change. Let it evolve, take risks, don't be afraid to fail once in awhile, keep exploring. Carry the list with you and remind yourself of your goals.
Start researching, read travel blogs and entrepreneur resources. Start with small steps and keep working your way into your goals. Make it your full-time interest to research books and companies who offer services that you're looking to get into. Ask for an email interview, find a mentor, join a community. Start getting your income mobile and start earning even while your sleeping. If it's just a few pennies from your blog via Adsense, that's a great start. It will get you in the mindset that you can earn money without even doing anything at the time you earned it. In this day in age, you're doing yourself a disservice not to take advantage of what technology can do for your lifestyle and career.
So how do you get started? It will seem overwhelming at first, but all you need is clarity, persistence, and action. It won't happen overnight, but you will start to unfold the pieces and clues to how you want your life to be and find your way there.
Here's a few practical steps to get you started:
- Contact 3 new people every day who can help you with your travel career search. This could be a travel professional, blogger, or mentor.
- Start saving as little as $25 a month to put towards your travel dreams.
- Start an online business you can do from anywhere. Start by selling your unwanted clutter on ebay, writing an ebook for purchase, joining a travel affiliate program, booking group tours and creating itineraries.
- Read at least 5 travel blogs or travel industry books per week.
- Start researching your next vacation, print out pictures, create an itinerary and tape it to your wall or cubicle so you'll be looking at it daily.
- Write down a place you've always wanted to visit and make it your mission to find the least expensive, most fulfilling way to get there. You'll be surprised at what you find and how fun it was to get there.
- Start a travel blog for free at Blogger and start developing your own ideas.
Action is the only thing that will bring real change and it will build the more you put your goals into motion. Persistence is important, or frustration will seep into your mission and poison your desire. Take a look at your life and ask yourself if you want to be in that position this time next year. If you just cringed or threw up on your keyboard, it's time to start doing something different.
You can read about my experience about transitioning from video editing to travel writing here:
How to Slow Down in Life and Enjoy Travel
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