Writing While Traveling

I’m not writing from my nest today. This hasn’t happened in 3 months. It’ll happen again tomorrow. Then I’ll finally get to return to my safe place.

I get distracted. Always. Even when I’m in my usual space at my usual time — I get distracted easily.

Right now, I’m in a fresh place, and my senses want to explode. There’s too much New around. And every single piece of New wants to stop me from blackening this white page.

But I’ll sit here until it’s finished. And when I figure out how I made it work, I’ll share what helped.

When you daydream about combining writing with travel, you never really consider how distracting it can be. It’s easy to romanticize the whole thing.
You could be roaming around Spain and find yourself craving your familiar desk in your familiar apartment in your familiar city. Why? Only because you haven’t written in days. How could you? You’re in Spain. Bombarded by New.

I’m only 4 hours away from home right now — in a city I’ve visited hundreds of times. But it’s still fresh. It’s different from what I’ve seen every day for the last 3 months.

And next month, I’ll be in Grand Cayman, then Jamaica, then Cozumel. The last time I did this, I got zero writing done. Which sucks because I love writing more than most things — even tropical vacations. So this time around, I’m counting on my familiar elements to help me write.

For most people, familiarity is the true kindling for creativity. But they never realize it until they remove the familiar.

I need constant change. I crave it. But even though I love change, I have to keep familiar elements around. Else, I can’t stay focused, and I quit writing.

Familiar Elements You Can Take Everywhere #

I came up with some things that helped me get this post written — even though I was distracted in a new place.

No matter where you go, you can always keep these elements with you. They all fit in a backpack. Take care of them. They’re your creative kindling.

Favorite Book(s) #

I travel with a Kindle loaded with over 20 books. Some people hate Kindles, but I need to take these books with me wherever I go. They inspire me and get my blood flowing. If you can think of an easier way to lug 20 books around, let me know. Before I got the Kindle, I only took 1 favorite book with me — The Catcher in the Rye.

Favorite Music #

Thank God for the tiny jukebox in my pocket. I listen to the same thing every morning when I write. It’s truly a gift that I can take a familiar atmosphere with me wherever I go.

A Journal #

There are countless snippets, quips, 1-liners, quotes, and eclectic scribblings in my journal. If I’m stuck, I’ll flip through the pages until something grabs me. As long as it’s around, I always have something to start writing about.

Your Routine #

Whatever steps you take before sitting down to write — you can take those anywhere. Mine are: drink a glass of water, make/get coffee, journal for 10 minutes, read 1 chapter of a book, then write whatever I plan on sharing/publishing. Most routines can be done anywhere.

A Printed Photo of Home #

I decided to start doing this last week before this current trip. But I forgot my photo (got a bunch printed here) this time! Some people have bitter feelings towards their roots. I range from indifferent to overly nostalGic. But I’ve always maintained that it’s important to be reminded of your roots. It’s good to see how much you’ve grown as a being (hopefully growth is the case).

Coffee #

You can’t travel everywhere with this. But you can find it wherever you go. Whether it’s good for you or not, coffee is huge part of many folks’ writing process. Thank God it’s scattered all over the planet.