Excellent piece, Lottie, and I'm sure many will agree with you. When I was a full-time travel writer at The Sunday Times I was talking with my editor one day and I used the phrase "churning out articles". She raised an eyebrow archly as if to say: "Have you been doing this too long?"
And, you know what, I think I had. I was about 15 years in, and soon afterwards I transitioned into editing, consulting and running a series of online businesses. Less glamorous, but more interesting.
Maybe the problem is that too many of us hang around too long in a role that is tremendously exciting and enviable, but presents all the challenges you've described. And for all our accumulated knowledge, we can get stale.
When I was travel writing (mainly travel blogging, but in a scattershot way), conferences were the biggest way to not feel alone. Every time we talked about the big conferences and why we attended them, the top reason was hanging out with 'online people' IRL. This always made me a bit sad, for two reasons: the fact it was clearly so easy to get lonely while travelling the world, and that conferences were still seen as social gatherings much more than incredible resources for learning new skills from the best folk in the business - which they sometimes are, but clearly not as much as they could be?
Another thing about being solitary, though: maybe it can make the job easier? (More freedom to be selfish, to pay attention to everything around you in an undistracted way, and to put yourself through boredom and discomfort in order to get the story you want?) Or - maybe this just isn't true? If not easier, then *different*. I wonder about this a lot, and wonder how much of an unhelpful cliche it is. For example, I have a writer friend with a baby and she's noticed how it's vastly easier for her to talk to strangers now, because everyone wants to say hello to Baby! So maybe this old "lone wolf" model of travel writing can lead to a certain style of travel writing, but it's not necessarily a *better* one, just a different one?
Really good observations here! Travelling alone definitely makes it easier to focus on the job at hand, but I think you're right about a different style of travel writing. I always wonder if it's right for me to be reviewing the five-star romantic hotel all on my own, when most people will experience it as a couple. If I go as a couple, or even just with a friend, won't I get a more "accurate" experience? All v interesting!
My husband and I have been nomading for five years now -- and I've been writing about it full time for about three now -- and your newsletter makes me appreciate how fortunate I am.
But! (Isn't there always a 'but?' LOL) just like everything else in life there are pluses and minuses. While I wouldn't trade my husband away for anything -- or most of our time together -- we don't always travel in the same way or want the same things. And sometimes we both wish for a tiny bit more space -- both physical and mental.
Which means we have to compromise. And that's fine. Life is compromise.
But sometimes I do wish I could be selfish and just do what I want, go where I want, take all of the pictures I want. (The last is the biggest bone of contention between us!)
Make no mistake -- I know I am lucky to not have to solo travel. But there can be downsides to traveling together as well.
A very brave and honest piece, which has provoked a few brave and honest comments. I am in agreement with all you say, and am just finishing a two-week guidebook update in Northern Spain.
I have sometimes found that I simply couldn't be bothered to go out and visit yet another new restaurant on my own and sit like Captain Saddo at a table for one. Although I am a bit of a loner anyway, and although I now do have a handful of good friends here, this apathy is affecting my work quality, so together with rising costs (and static revenues) this will probably mean this is my final fling as a travel writer.
Excellent piece - for years I thought I was the only person who experienced bone-crushing loneliness on the road when I was travel writing full time. There are places that make me shudder still when I remember how lonely I was there. The loneliness is also exacerbated when you're back home and you haven't really spent enough time there to build up networks and a proper life either ! It is indeed a massive privilege to be a travel writer and amazing - but it's v important to acknowledge there are challenges too (apart from the pay! :))
Very interesting this, Lottie. I've been freelancing - and often travelling solo - for 25 years and it's the first time I've read anything about the reverse side of the so-called 'dream job.'('You're always on holiday', as my dear father would grumble when I said that I needed one :) )
I'm a bit of a loner so I generally (but not always!) thrive on solo travel, but even so I think that the way the whole freelance travel writer/digital nomad lifestyle is currently being 'promoted' is really unhealthy. Even if you enjoy the travel side, once you're back at your desk you have to churn out those articles knowing that you will have little (if any) feedback from editors - and even less from your readers. It can be really soul-destroying: like being a hamster on an endless word-fuelled treadmill. I think you really need to be prepared for this mentally, and you need to know that you'll be able to tell yourself 'this is not for me' if it doesn't work out.
Excellent piece, Lottie, and I'm sure many will agree with you. When I was a full-time travel writer at The Sunday Times I was talking with my editor one day and I used the phrase "churning out articles". She raised an eyebrow archly as if to say: "Have you been doing this too long?"
And, you know what, I think I had. I was about 15 years in, and soon afterwards I transitioned into editing, consulting and running a series of online businesses. Less glamorous, but more interesting.
Maybe the problem is that too many of us hang around too long in a role that is tremendously exciting and enviable, but presents all the challenges you've described. And for all our accumulated knowledge, we can get stale.
When I was travel writing (mainly travel blogging, but in a scattershot way), conferences were the biggest way to not feel alone. Every time we talked about the big conferences and why we attended them, the top reason was hanging out with 'online people' IRL. This always made me a bit sad, for two reasons: the fact it was clearly so easy to get lonely while travelling the world, and that conferences were still seen as social gatherings much more than incredible resources for learning new skills from the best folk in the business - which they sometimes are, but clearly not as much as they could be?
Another thing about being solitary, though: maybe it can make the job easier? (More freedom to be selfish, to pay attention to everything around you in an undistracted way, and to put yourself through boredom and discomfort in order to get the story you want?) Or - maybe this just isn't true? If not easier, then *different*. I wonder about this a lot, and wonder how much of an unhelpful cliche it is. For example, I have a writer friend with a baby and she's noticed how it's vastly easier for her to talk to strangers now, because everyone wants to say hello to Baby! So maybe this old "lone wolf" model of travel writing can lead to a certain style of travel writing, but it's not necessarily a *better* one, just a different one?
Really good observations here! Travelling alone definitely makes it easier to focus on the job at hand, but I think you're right about a different style of travel writing. I always wonder if it's right for me to be reviewing the five-star romantic hotel all on my own, when most people will experience it as a couple. If I go as a couple, or even just with a friend, won't I get a more "accurate" experience? All v interesting!
My husband and I have been nomading for five years now -- and I've been writing about it full time for about three now -- and your newsletter makes me appreciate how fortunate I am.
But! (Isn't there always a 'but?' LOL) just like everything else in life there are pluses and minuses. While I wouldn't trade my husband away for anything -- or most of our time together -- we don't always travel in the same way or want the same things. And sometimes we both wish for a tiny bit more space -- both physical and mental.
Which means we have to compromise. And that's fine. Life is compromise.
But sometimes I do wish I could be selfish and just do what I want, go where I want, take all of the pictures I want. (The last is the biggest bone of contention between us!)
Make no mistake -- I know I am lucky to not have to solo travel. But there can be downsides to traveling together as well.
A very brave and honest piece, which has provoked a few brave and honest comments. I am in agreement with all you say, and am just finishing a two-week guidebook update in Northern Spain.
I have sometimes found that I simply couldn't be bothered to go out and visit yet another new restaurant on my own and sit like Captain Saddo at a table for one. Although I am a bit of a loner anyway, and although I now do have a handful of good friends here, this apathy is affecting my work quality, so together with rising costs (and static revenues) this will probably mean this is my final fling as a travel writer.
Good luck and chin up!
Excellent piece - for years I thought I was the only person who experienced bone-crushing loneliness on the road when I was travel writing full time. There are places that make me shudder still when I remember how lonely I was there. The loneliness is also exacerbated when you're back home and you haven't really spent enough time there to build up networks and a proper life either ! It is indeed a massive privilege to be a travel writer and amazing - but it's v important to acknowledge there are challenges too (apart from the pay! :))
Very interesting this, Lottie. I've been freelancing - and often travelling solo - for 25 years and it's the first time I've read anything about the reverse side of the so-called 'dream job.'('You're always on holiday', as my dear father would grumble when I said that I needed one :) )
I'm a bit of a loner so I generally (but not always!) thrive on solo travel, but even so I think that the way the whole freelance travel writer/digital nomad lifestyle is currently being 'promoted' is really unhealthy. Even if you enjoy the travel side, once you're back at your desk you have to churn out those articles knowing that you will have little (if any) feedback from editors - and even less from your readers. It can be really soul-destroying: like being a hamster on an endless word-fuelled treadmill. I think you really need to be prepared for this mentally, and you need to know that you'll be able to tell yourself 'this is not for me' if it doesn't work out.