I spent last week on a cruise ship touring the Alaska Inland Passage. Although I tiddled around on some projects, I did no work other than some basic communications to seal a new client. Seven days of rock climbing, sightseeing, whale watching, poolside lounging and chasing my 18-month-old son as he ran down the halls of the ship.
I got to do this because:
- Writing for myself means I can afford any vacation I want, so long as I’m willing to find and complete enough work to pay the bills.
- Being a writer means I set my schedule, and can work from any location in the world.
- Vacation is its own kind of work for me — but not the bad kind. I came up with good ideas for several of my projects just from getting out and breaking my rut.
- Writing while being married to a teacher = win. It means my whole family gets to travel together for as much of the summer as I want.
Back to work now, of course. For those wondering whether or not to take the plunge and go full time, or those who need inspiration to make it happen — re-read those points above. It’s worth the risks and the occasional 20-hour days.
Thanks for listening.
Hey, good for you! We did an Alaskan cruise several years ago–one of the best trips we’ve ever been on. Vacations always reinvigorate my creativity. I just returned from a backpacking trip where I wrote two essays–ones I’ve been struggling with at home.