Business or Pleasure?
That’s one of those FAQs when you’re booking travel. Is this trip for Business or Pleasure?
Since I started travel writing, nearly every trip I’ve taken has been for Business. Even when it’s for fun–and all of them have been fun–I’ve focused on the business aspect. That’s the downside of being a travel writer. Every trip was work.
I’d almost always contact destinations to see if we could work together. We’d discuss my travel dates, my audience, and they’d arrange hotels, restaurants, and attractions. This enabled me to visit places I couldn’t have afforded otherwise, and the VIP treatment was stellar. (Our stay at Canoe Bay Resort, for example.) It got to the point where I knew as soon as I entered my room there’d be gifts waiting for me, usually swag from the destination and often, a bottle of wine.
Yep. I’ve been spoiled rotten. It’s the best job in the world.
But lately things have shifted. As I’ve leaned into writing fiction and have taken on both editing and ghostwriting freelance clients, I’ve stopped going on press trips. I’ve stopped contacting those destinations.
It’s tempting, though. Next month we’re going to England to celebrate our birthdays. We’ll be in London for mine and at the Goodrich Castle for my husband’s, and yes, it’s in his lineage.
This trip is the first time since our one-year-anniversary that is solely for us. Not for work. Not for family. For us.
For pleasure.
I had a tiny moment when I considered reaching out to my contacts about different activities. I’m an affiliate with CityPass, Plannin, etc. This trip is an investment and I could defray a considerable amount of the cost by working with them.
But here’s the thing: I am then obligated to “create content.” We wouldn’t be able to just hop on a bus or a boat and take in the experience. I’d have to ensure I took lots of photos and videos so I could share them on social media and my sites. I’d have to write about it.
Our trip, our very personal vacation, would become work.
Am I going to write about it? Yes. But I’m writing about it because it brings me joy, because I want to, not because I have to.
For two weeks, I’m going to explore another country with my husband like a normal person instead of someone looking for the best story angle or feeling like she’s got to see and do everything so she can write the best ever Top Things To Do In London listicle (which would be impossible when we’re only there for five days, but that’s what travel writers often do–including myself).
Ironically, this is going to make what I do write even better and more useful. And definitely more entertaining. It’s storytelling, the style I used when I began writing about travel beyond Chicago in 2017, and which became my first and second books.
I’ve missed it, and I simply couldn’t (can’t) write another prescriptive piece focused on SEO and meant for algorithms. And now that I’m writing novels, I can never go back.
Some of my longtime readers might have noticed my dearth of posts. Last year I published all of three new articles. I used to post weekly, at a minimum. In 2026, I didn’t write my first travel article until last week.
After twenty-four years, during which we dealt with cancer and a pandemic at the same time, followed by Google’s “helpful” updates that destroyed my website traffic, I was completely burned out.
In January of this year I thought I was ready. I even wrote a “remember me” newsletter announcing my return. And then, nothing except for a couple emails about my Travel and Adventure Show appearances.
(I have been writing at The Joyful Storyteller. Just not here.)
So is that going to change?
Yes! Because planning this trip with the love of my life is joyful. It’s fun. It’s a reminder of what most people feel when they travel. Yes, I have the best job in the world. And, AND, after so many years of every trip being tied to income and obligations, that job began to feel like a, well, job.
Now? I get to write what I want without any expectations from clients or partners. I get to approach this adventure with the wide-eyed fascination of someone with wanderlust in her bones.
And I am going to share this with you.
I’ve got a whooooole list of topics. Just the planning part has been an education. (Did you know you have to get an ETA to visit the UK? One of the things I’ve learned and I’ll tell you all about it, and warn you against the mistake I made.)
Will I write while we’re on the trip?
Maybe. I’ll journal, but I’m not committing to publishing while I’m away. If I do, it’ll be because I feel called to do so.
So this time, when someone asks, “Business or pleasure?” I’m finally going to smile and say, “Pleasure.” And I have a feeling that’s going to make all the difference—for the trip, for the writing, and for me.