Later this week, I will be joining travel experts to speak at the New York Times Travel Show in New York City to speak to the nuances of ditching the 9 to 5, to travel full time. I have given this talk in the past at the Women’s Travel Fest, have spoken to going freelance both on this blog and at events; but this weekend will be different.
Rather than address a room full of people, I will be having a sort of speed-date with attendees who will swing by my table, ask questions and hopefully leave feeling their dreams are within grasp. If you’re new to The Pin the Map Project (welcome!) you may be wondering why I’m qualified to speak to this subject. Good question! In short, my career has taken me on quite a rollercoaster - I started working in advertising where I balanced a demanding career with a side passion for travel writing.
Once I realized I had it all wrong - my passion should be at the forefront of my life, not the side - I quit my job. I embarked on one hell of a ride trying to go freelance, only to fail and realize my mistakes, landing my butt right back in advertising. After taking a brief stint in advertising, I saved money and once again jumped back into the choppy waters of being a full-time travel writer/blogger. I traveled around the world, I built up my blog, I freelance for various publications and only returned to an office by choice when the opportunity of a lifetime - to become a Travel Editor - came up!
Along the way of my crazy journey, I made mistakes and realized I could share those lessons with people to help push their dreams along (and hopefully avoid the potholes in the road that I hit!). If you’re unable to attend the New York Times Travel, then below you’ll find a roundup useful posts to give you the same advice I’ll be sharing this weekend!
My full chat from last year’s Women’s Travel Fest about how to ditch the 9 to 5 (Video)
How to earn money off your travel blog
Mistakes to avoid when going freelance
Deciding to return to the office
Pitching travel editors and getting your work published
How I became a full time travel writer
Have any specific questions? Feel free to leave your comments below!
Good luck! What a fun way of doing the talk - I’d definitely be dropping by your table if I was there! 🙂
Lisa // FjordsAndBeaches.com