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If you’ve been reading this blog for awhile now, or even if you just speak a little bit of Español, you’ll know that mochilera translates to “backpacker.”
It’s not something I bring up all that often anymore, and the meaning of my blog’s name isn’t clearly spelled out in writing, er, anywhere around here.
That’s no oversight.
When I started this travel blog nearly two years ago, deep down I knew I wouldn’t be a “backpacker” forever. The name fit perfectly at the time–I was traveling solo in Peru, with a backpack, and I wanted to incorporate Spanish into the title somehow. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say I was totalmente enamorada de la lengua (totally enamored with the language), and I liked the fact that mochilera didn’t immediately conjure up an image of a sweaty, travel-worn vagabond.
Even if that’s exactly what I was.
But, as time wore on, the telltale signs of my backpacking ways began to fade–just as I knew they would.
It all started in Argentina. After 8 months on the road, I got tired.
Tired of speeding from one location to the next. Tired of living on a shoestring budget. Tired of sleeping in dorms with 10 other travelers.
Exhausted from the physical act of lifting the ever-growing dead weight that was my trusty backpack.
Things took a more drastic turn later that year when I first attempted to combine travel and work. While traveling through Central America, I took my first, very part-time gig as a social media manager. Even working just 10 hours a week and whatever time I could manage to work on my own blog proved, at the time, too much for me to handle.
I knew then I needed to make a big change and breathed a heavy sigh of relief when I finally landed in Medellin, Colombia where I planted myself to begin more seriously building my freelance career.
Fast forward about 8 more months and things really began to get hot and heavy. I’d just attended my first blogging conference and was beginning to see more and more paid opportunities come my way, social media related or otherwise.
With blogging and freelance work taking up even more of my time (much to my delight) despite still traveling at break-neck speed, I found myself once again facing the dilemma–I needed to work, but I also had travel obligations.
Business and travel had suddenly become inextricably intertwined.
With the literal backpack having been ditched a long time prior and work suddenly taking up more of my time than play, I hardly felt like a backpacker anymore. Was I slowly becoming a…business traveler?
While it’s true that no one’s paying me to gallivant around the world, and with the exception of a few press trip opportunities this year, no one’s funding these travels but me (thanks, boss!) I’d assert that the way I travel these days is far more akin to business travel than backpacking.
The change has been gradual, but it’s now more obvious than ever.
When checking into new accommodation, the new me wants to know, “How fast is your WiFi?”
Whereas the old me would have been more concerned with, “What time is the bar crawl?”
Rarely will you find me checking into a dormitory these days (or even a hostel, for that matter)–my privacy and personal space are too important for getting things done anymore, and there are only so many unsympathetic groans I can listen to from travelers who are simply just…traveling.
Have you ever tried answering emails in a hostel bar? On the cramped top level of a bunk bed? In a communal kitchen surrounded by loud conversation and card games?
How about trying to hold a skype call with a client while bad 90s hip-hop blares in the background? I don’t recommend it.
With the decision to turn travel blogging into more than just a hobby and to pursue freelance consulting (also within the travel industry) on a full-time basis, the deal was sealed–I was officially in the business of traveling.
How does one create content for a travel blog without traveling? Not easily, I would imagine. That means as long as I hope to continue blogging, I will continue to make travel a priority.
And when every outing becomes a photo opportunity and every moment of downtime is dedicated to writing, photo editing, social media updates or drafting pitches, it’s hard to argue that your travels are purely for pleasure anymore.
Don’t get me wrong–my travels still bring me immense pleasure, despite often being associated with work. I simply take a different approach now. One that’s a little more calculated, a little less risky, but every bit as exhilarating and fulfilling as my backpacking days.
So, in a few months time, can you expect to see me whizzing through the airport with just a briefcase in tow, and sipping champagne in business class? Not likely. But as work picks up speed and my travels slow down, I do anticipate this evolutionary process to continue.
As for what that means exactly, well, I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.
What’s your travel style? Are you a backpacker, a business traveler, or somewhere in between?
