Ross Garnaut let us in on how he got started in travel writing and what comes with the job.
Written by Ross Garnaut
Traveling has always been in my veins. I have been lucky enough to have parents that greatly enjoyed international travel and had the ability to do so. That helped ingrain travel in me from the earliest age, as I witnessed Big Ben first hand, experienced a Manchester United soccer game in the flesh, and saw the beauty of the Egyptian pyramids.
As I got older I decided I wanted to do everything in my power to become a travel professional. I studied international relations and English in college, I interned with a small travel agent in my area, and I constantly researched and networked with travel professionals whenever possible. I knew travel writing was probably my best and easiest bet to seeing everything, so I did my best to polish my writing skills while maintaining my international skill set.
I dropped first into a few jobs that didn’t specialize in travel, but had connections abroad. My skill set and training made me a great candidate to take on business trips abroad, and so my journey began. I networked, grew my skill set and spread off, eventually splintering off into one other job that increased my traveling schedule. This finally landed me with Lowfares, a company that has enabled me to use my love for travel to its fullest.
I have been to six continents and hope to encounter Antarctica first hand at some point, whenever life allows me. While traveling professionally is usually a life of glamour and excitement, even it, sometimes, comes with its own downward spirals.
Communication barriers constantly strain on you, liftoff is still as scary today as it was fifteen years ago, and the loneliness that comes from being disconnected from your family is a constant stress that you must live with on a day to day basis.
Despite the few stresses that come with the job, I wouldn’t trade it for the world. Smiles are still universal, there is still something beautiful to see wherever you go, and the vastness of this planet makes travel something that we can never fully conquer in any of our lifetimes.
If you have any interest in becoming a travel professional, feel free to drop me a line at my personal e-mail, rosstraveler@gmail.com, and I’ll do my best to point you in the right direction. The jobs are scarce and in high demand, but, as it is with most things, a steadfast dedication and hard work ethic will go a long way towards landing you the job of your dreams.
Ross Garnaut is a travel writer for Lowfares.com, a travel search engine that provides cheap flights and discount airfares. With ten years of experience as a travel professional, Ross has been to six continents and over thirty countries.
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I envy her. If only my current job involves traveling. My dream job is to work for a non-profit and travel around the world. But for now, I have to make enough to pay for grad school.
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I do hope you’ll get your dream job eventually. Being able to travel in your work is surely one of the best things there is.
Liftoff is still scary yes I agree and the short haul flights have become more chaotic and unorganised I think as airlines cut costs. I think the more we fly the more impatient we can become, because the joy hs been taken out of it.
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I don’t agree about liftoff. I actually enjoy it
But I get what you mean with becoming impatient.