I’ve always been a hobby writer, creating short stories for my family’s enjoyment, but I never saw myself as a professional writer. After some soul searching, though, I realized that I should embrace my passion and at least try to be a writer.
Fortunately for me, our family had a spontaneous family trip to Florida coming up, which meant that I could focus on building my writing business while I was there with a mind clear of my every day worries.
Since it was our first family trip in four years, I still wanted to spend time with my parents and sister during those two weeks at the beach, but I also wanted time to myself to focus on my writing.
I promised myself to write two hours a day… and I did.
Since I’ve always been an early riser, I would get in my writing hours at the beginning of each day, before the rest of my family woke up and we all headed to beach.
And a cool thing happened — I found that since I was on vacation, I was more creative with a free mind than I typically am at home with bills and chores to worry about. I wrote with vigor, confidence, and ease.
And with my newfound creativity boost, I would sit in front of my laptop each morning and write about my day, summer nutrition, recipes, and exercises. I would then send every article I wrote to blogs and online publications for sale.
My vacation made me more confident in this regard, too. Without care or worry, I simply hit send on my emails to each editor and let the beach distract me from waiting around for a response.
After three days of sending proposals to dozens of websites and magazines… and three days of alternating my idle time between sand, pool and baking with mom, I finally received a reply from an online blog who was willing to pay $100 for my Peach-Fig Cake recipe!
Three days is pretty fast for a response so I was on cloud nine.
When my family finally woke up, we all celebrated by going to the best crab leg restaurant in town. We laughed, bonded and had one of the best nights together, as a family, drunk on the rays of the sun, dizzy from the smell of the ocean, and excited for my new writing adventures.
From there, I gained confidence in my writing and continued to pitch ideas to companies, with the hope of selling even more pieces. Three years later, I am still a writer and can spend even more time with my loved ones.
I love that my travel writing career started on the beach. It’s a business model I suggest everyone try at least once.
Travel Writing Resources
How To Become A Travel Writer – The Easy Way
Easy Steps To Landing Your First Byline As A Travel Writer
Marketing For Travel Writers: 5 Ways To Get Started
22 Travel Story Ideas To Get You Published
