Kissing Fish in Boston
“E tu Brute?”
So greeted me my editor at The Royal Gazette, Bermuda’s National newspaper, two days after I had handed in my notice to the Editor and Chief in December 2008.
“Uh….sorry,” is about all I could pitifully squeak out. Stabbing in his back is not exactly what I planned. No, I had planned to go travel around the world. Slightly a different affair.
Luckily he recovered from the wound and attempted another approach: “How would you feel about writing about your travels? It wouldn’t have to be on a regular basis or long.”
That offer required no thinking: “Yes, of course!”
What transpired was a weekly column, which followed my trials and tribulations through 24 countries in one year.
When I returned to Bermuda (my home) one question remained: “Would the column continue?”
I didn’t want to give-up my new-found love. I fought for its continuation, but from the point of analysis and any small trips I might take, rather than from around the world.
Now it’s been almost a year since I have been maintaining the Rock Fever Column and I have one question: Can a travel writer take a vacation?
No, seriously. I can hear you accountants and desk hounds scoffing. “Robyn, seriously, you have to have adventures for your job. How can you ask us this?”
“I told you, yes, I am serious.”
I might be serious, but I’m not naive. I get that I have a good gig writing a column about travel. But what about
The smallest violin in the world playing "My heart bleeds for you" as my father would demonstrate
when I don’t want to write? Or think about writing?
Yeah, yeah I hear your heart strings playing for me. Or as my father would demonstrate like the photo to the right: “My heart bleeds for you” played on the smallest violin in the world.
But seriously, (have I said seriously enough? ok enough questions) when do I get to turn my brain off?
The weird thing for travel writers (I humbly include myself here for arguments sake) is that when we head to vacation spots it’s not a holiday.
When accountants head for the beach (what is my deal with accountants today?) they are heading for a relaxing time. Instead for the writer everything in front of us is possible substance for a travel column or article.
Well, at least for me. That hotwire booking in this week’s Rock Fever Column? Oh that derived from my New Year’s trip to Vermont and Boston.
But with deciding to write about the actual trip to Vermont and Boston I was stuck by a conundrum and this blog post. That’s because I traveled with two friends from the states, a friend from England and a Canadian friend. I knew if I was going to travel with this many people I would never get a break to write something.
I also knew that I wasn’t going to be able to do whatever I wanted to do i.e. investigate things for my column.
I would not be able to travel simply to ensure I had the best priced options for Bermudians or travel simply to discover some new place simply to write about it.
Well, I can’t place all of the blame on my friends. I also felt like having a vacation. I know, crazy, right?
“But how can you go away so soon, you were just on a trip?”
Technically, you are correct. I was in London for a month working on ten columns about ten trips that someone could take from this capital city.
Visiting Vermont
But there again you see the important word, right? No, not London. Not trips. Nope. I am talking about “working”. Believe me I love traveling. I love discovering new places and having my senses bombarded by new experiences.
When I am traveling for my column, though, it’s not the same thing. I experience things, but I also look at everything as: “how will I write about this?”, “Will this make a good entry?”, “Will anyone really want to have some suggestions for visiting Dover?” “What about Berlin?”
I swear! These are all questions (and more) that run through my head while I travel. I never stop thinking about who might read about my adventures.
So what was I going to do in Vermont? Was I going to be able to take a vacation? It didn’t sound, with four friends joining me, that I was going to have much of a choice.
While they may have turned-off my choices, they couldn’t turn off my brain.
As soon as we arrived we had to pick-up the car. “Hmmm he booked the car for a discount price. That could be a column!”
My friend Lauren is a photo buff. We couldn’t keep her contained inside the house for long: “Best places in Vermont for photography?”
Out of the five of us, only one could ski. Yeah, that was me a Bermudian. Go figure. I was with four others from cold places and the sub-tropical girl knew how to use two planks to get down a ski hill.
Next Column: “How to teach beginner skiers to ski.” (Hint: don’t teach them! Hire an instructor!)
The tap wouldn’t turn off. We visited Sugarbush farm. “Sunsets in Vermont,” “Family farms to visit.”
Visiting Boston
Ok getting ridiculous. I know, but I couldn’t stop…..what did stop me? Well that would be technology. My little lap top that traveled around the world with me? It decided to throw a couple of keys out and I couldn’t type.
By the time Boston creeped-up on me my little typing fingers were itching! MUST…TYPE…SOMETHING! I missed writing.
I missed being able to analyze and look at where I had been through words. And therein lies my answer: I might stop writing. I might not travel for anyone, but myself (and my five friends), but I will always be a travel writer.
I can’t stop and I can’t take a vacation! Thank goodness for blogs!
Robyn's Wanderings 