By William Ballard

Many of my friends -- those who tend to work in offices, firehouses, newsrooms, universities, and churches -- often ask me if travel writing is a "real job"... or is it just simply an excuse I use to leave town and get away from it all every now and then.

​My response: Albeit, it is quite an enjoyable job, it most certainly indeed is a job ... one that requires hard work and much dedication. 

With that said, it's important to make this clear from the outset, as a travel writer, you will have to spend many hours with your bum in a chair and your fingers typing away on a keyboard, however. 

​Of all the kinds of writing you could be doing, such as writing novels, or writing for scholarly academic type journals, or even writing marketing copy, I am persuaded that travel writing is not only one of the most fun genres of writing you can be doing, but it is also probably one of the most rewarding in terms of the quality of life it helps provide. 

Here are a few reasons why
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By William Ballard 

​Although we aren't sure when the illustrious traveling lifestyle will pick back up again, we do know that  it will, and it will come back with a vengeance -- that's why it's important to be ready when it does.   

​The romantic dream of the nomadic lifestyle is one that many obsess over these days. Some more than others, for sure. Mainly because many who wish they could live this romantic lifestyle have no idea how these professional travelers do it, and, therefore, label it a pipe dream or fantasy, and give up on it before they even start. 

​If your Instagram feed is anything like mine you’ll probably be mesmerized day in and day out with lustful images of mountainous landscapes, or the turquoise waters of the Mediterranean -- in other words, where you would rather be right now. 
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The truth is, those lucky few you see flaunting around the globe that live this coveted lifestyle have figured out how to tap into their marketable skill-sets and use them to design a life that allows them to indulge their passion for travel. The good news? This, so-called, pipe dream is actually well within your reach. 
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Here are 18 ways you can get paid to travel. ​
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Image Credit: Ketut Subiyanto

By William Ballard 
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For anyone who's ever kept a journal or diary, ask yourself this: Why did you keep that journal in the first place?

Correct me if I’m wrong, but I have reason to believe that it was done in order for you to relive a certain memory or event. And as you write that entry into your journal or diary, what you are actually doing is making a note of what you feel in that particular situation or moment.

And, in so doing, it requires you to activate your five senses (I’ll talk more about that in a few).