Notes on Travel Writing

I am having a break from eight years of travel writing. I am still deciding if I want to continue it. Either way, I feel blessed to have fulfilled a writer’s dream. Here are some things I learned on the road:

1. Like a child, I kept my eyes open for wonder. There were times when I felt jaded, and it was because I took my assignments for granted. So I learned to leave all my expectations at the hotel.

2. I saw the world as it was — the awe, beauty, and conservation or destruction of nature and culture, and people’s relationship with the environment. And then I started to care and learned to love the Earth and all Her aspects.

3. I learned to travel light and often move from one location to another, wake up at dawn, and explore all day with my team. Some days I felt like life was a dream, as I woke up to a new place, indoor or outdoor, each morning.

4. I recognized people’s aspirations as a community, and I (we) had to be adaptable, patient, and humble — to see things from their perspective and grow from there.

5. The past and the future didn’t exist when I was traveling. Everything was vivid, sensory driven, and in motion with the present. The life of freedom can be intoxicating.

6. Many moments were too fleeting to capture, such as witnessing a manta ray the size of a car, having our boat chased by dolphins, or nearly slipping from the rim of an active volcano.

7. I had to be prepared for the wild and the extraordinary, to eat that giant sea urchin or fried tarantula. To bungee jump from a 200ft drop, or trek 10 hours to a secluded little village with huge tracks of weed.

8. I was exposed to all sorts of creative people — they’re the best guys and gals to collab with. Probably some the craziest I met. Many unexpectedly stayed with me as lifetime friends.

I still have dreams of being part of a natgeo team, and learning professional photography, although I detest lugging equipment around.

Even in my short break now I am aching to move again and live the life of adventure. With travel writing, I never felt like I “worked” a day in my life.

// 04 Jun 2023