Knowing what to write about in these journals usually comes easily for me. This month was different. Confronting a blank screen with the cursor blinking emptily is daunting when your mind is equally devoid of ideas. This doesn’t happen to me often, thankfully. My imagination is usually fertile ground.
So, I took a break. Attending to mindless tasks often frees my thoughts. Somewhere between shelling hardboiled eggs to add to salad and making coffee, I figured out what is going on. After pushing hard to meet my deadline for The Forever Sky (Montana Gold, book 4), why does it surprise me to discover that inspiration might need some time off?
I, apparently, do too. With that in mind, I’m planning a visit to Bloedel Reserve, a celebrated botanical garden on Bainbridge Island, Washington. Left in its wild state, the garden is a place for quiet meditation. That should fill the bill perfectly.
My extended family is planning a trip to the California gold country in June. I’ll seek out Mark Twain locations, naturally. There’s talk of a visit to Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco and possibly a visit to the Winchester Mystery House. I’ll journal about the trip in the future.
My husband and I are also considering travel related to my writing, including several writing conferences, a fall retreat with my speculative fiction mastermind group, and a possible research trip and signing tour to Montana. That last will probably take place next year, however. I want to wait until all the books in the Montana Gold series are available after The Forever Sky releases this December. It’s been a while since I traveled for business, but I can’t stay in hermit mode forever. I actually enjoy travel, but I’ve been hunkered down, writing.
Finding Freedom to Travel Within Your Schedule
Now that I’ve finished the last of the eight books in two series with separate publishers, there is freedom to travel that wasn’t in my schedule before. It wouldn’t be there, however, since I have a lot of books coming out this year plus another contract in the offing. However, I asked my publisher for a small break to give myself time to rest. Part of that will involve travel. While some might think of travel as exhausting, I find it reviving on many levels. Also any time away from routine refills my creative well.
If you are struggling to accomplish everything you need to do, believe me when I say I understand. You might have to wait, as I did, to complete obligations. That might only seem to be the case, though. Sometimes, traveling can break you free of a rut you’ve unknowingly sunk into. That might be all it takes to discover that you had the freedom to travel all along.
Creating Freedom to Travel Within Your Budget
Money is another issue to address. I’m at the place in my writing career where I have more opportunities than money to fulfill them. I need to choose where I invest in going wisely. Travel can be costly, but there are ways to reduce the amount you spend.
Traveling straight through, switching off with another driver, saves money but is no fun. I usually avoid it. Instead, I look for lodging through AirBnB, making sure to stay with a superhost who has been vetted by the community. In the past, my family has used camping spots as a place to spend the night while traveling. We’ve gotten away from this, though, because you can’t drive as far before needing to stop and pitch your tent before dark. I’ve spotted cars towing pop-up tents down the road. Those folks might just have the right idea. They can keep going even after dark, then pull aside and pop up the tent to sleep. We won’t get into a discussion of boondocking here, although the freedom and adventure of it intrigues me. I’ve never gone, so I can’t offer advice.
On car trips, avoiding restaurants is a great way to travel. It’s amazing how much farther down the road you can be when you don’t have to wait to be seated, have your order taken, for the meal to come, and finally for the check. Stopping for a picnic gives you more of a chance to stretch your legs and breathe fresh air, plus it takes less time. Searching for a place to stop for a meal adds an element of adventure to your trip. I discovered Ankeny Hill in Oregon while searching for a picnic stop. If we are going to feel deprived without something hot to eat, we schedule one meal a day, usually lunch (which is often cheaper) in a restaurant.
Saving money while traveling might be all you need to be able to go more often. However, sometimes it’s just not in the budget. That’s when to earn the extra money you’ll need. If you’re like me, travel is that important to you.
Over to You
What about you? Are you working too hard and ready for a break? Is freedom to travel on the horizon for you?
