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“Do You Travel for Work?”

Do You Travel for Work?

Coming back on my final flight from the South Pacific last night, I sat next to a business traveler. In between Blackberrying and reading legal files, she gave me her brief attention.

She asked: “Do you travel for work?”

I said: “Not really. I travel for life.”

“That’s interesting,” she said as she returned to her files.

***

From time to time, I try to explain the reasoning behind my project of relentless, restless travel. But most of the time, I just keep trekking onward.

Another month, another country. It’s a big world out there, and the end is near.

How about you… what do you do for life?

###

Image: Jamie

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50 Comments

  • Candice says:

    I write for life, and I’m grateful I get to do it.

  • Deb Cooper-Asberry says:

    Do I travel for work? I WISH!!

  • Russell says:

    I learn for life

  • Nine says:

    I travel for life too. I’m travelling indefinitely, and working along the way whenever I get the opportunity.

    People often say things to me like “Ah, so you’ve taken a year off to travel the world; when are you going back to work?”

    I’ve been on the road for more than a year and I never imposed a time limit on it. I joined the redundancy club in 2009 and now I freelance as best as I can. This isn’t a holiday, this is my reality now.

  • David Delp says:

    I help people start fires of passionate lives. I’m intensely interested in helping people identify what its most important to them and how to focus on it. I teach The Ten Lessons for Designing a Balanced Life with that in mind.

  • Blair says:

    one of my goals is to travel for life..

  • Madelyn Blair says:

    What do I do for life? Anything that gives me pleasure — even when my friends say, “But that is called work!” Not to me! My work is all about changing the world from my small vantage point. Amazing what you can do when you put your mind to it.

  • Patricia GW says:

    I write, with my whole being.

  • lissie says:

    I used to say I worked to travel – and it was true – I’d work, save, quit, travel, rinse and repeat. These days its more complex – my work is part of my life and its fueled by travel – so all good!

  • Garry T says:

    “Don’t tell me how educated you are, tell me how much you’ve traveled” – Mohammed

  • D says:

    Roller derby keeps me alive. It’s never easy, and though it is fun, sometimes its just hard to keep going. And I need it, and love it.

  • Sean says:

    I explore the limits of the body’s capability, for life. Seems several ways you can process/interpret “for life.” My personal favorite though: la’chaim! For life!

    La’chaim!
    .sean

  • Christy @ Ordinary Traveler says:

    I work to travel! 🙂

  • Oliver A. says:

    I’m an engineer and a photographer and happy to be doing what I’m doing. As an engineer I do have a desk job but for me it more than a job. I feel and believe that I’m actually doing something to help the general public. Yes I do face challenges but I face them head-on and learn and make the most of them. In addition to being a engineer, I’m also a photographer. Doing photography has given me countless opportunities and adventures. I couldn’t ask for more.
    I still strive to do more and I’m learning new things everyday.

  • Aaron says:

    Is what I do more important than who I am?

    I once heard a guy ask a group of execs to tell the others who they were without mentioning what they did or where they worked. Silence.

    But, I am a writer and laguage coach and I am planning a revolution that will over throw language schools and university language programs everywhere – starting in Turkey.

    Language learning should be free, fun and filled with joy! Get started, don’t stop!

    (Higher on the list is: husband, dad, disciple, son, learner)

    Keep rockin the world Chris,

    Aaron

  • Daniel Wickie says:

    I travel for work about 90-100 days a year, but always add on a few days to most business trips to visit friends, trek, surf, see the sights…travel for life, as you say. Nicely put!

  • Daniel Olsson says:

    Yeah I have given up trying to explain to people from the ‘traditional’ world

  • Lourdes says:

    I live to write and hope that one day I can write for life.

  • Tim says:

    I help coach people to discover how they are designed on a deep level, cook, and graphic/web design.

  • Lydia Puhak says:

    What do I do for life?
    I live it… everyday!

  • Ginny says:

    I connect with people for life. I have just realized that for me it has always been, and always will be, about learning and teaching and connecting with others.

  • Katherine Bowers says:

    It’s a huge combo mix. For life I travel, write travel blogs, take photos, shoot videos, work on my website and try to integrate the positive. I dance Flamenco, that is totally for life and joy. I’m learning a new language for life, Korean. That has been an interesting journey exposing me to Korean people, Korean film and drama, Korean food. The more I give, reach out and do, the more I find myself living. That’s why I love your blogs, always inspiring me to keep on truckin’ and do those things that I want to do for myself. The truer I am to my desires, the happier I am and also I’m noticing others benefit from those actions.

  • Jason Strong says:

    Tempted to say I animate for life but, although I love it, I haven’t been doing it much. Really I help people for life. Currently I get paid to help people with computer problems at college, but most help doesn’t involve money. Hell, if I had all the money I needed, I’d be able to help more people.

  • Patricia says:

    I create for life. Virtually anything counts when it comes to creativity, but it seems I really get a kick out of creating different avenues for my businesses, and offering different services to my clients. And nothing pleases me more when someone’s needs are fulfilled because of something I’ve done via my work.

  • Anita C says:

    I create and play music and I keep getting up. I try to help people escape the fear of the judgement of others and that helps me loosen the shackles on my own fears.

  • Travis says:

    ~ I make love my art & art my love ~

  • Christopher Hutton says:

    I live for life, breathe for life, even fight for life. But most importantly, I love for life.

  • Chris Walter says:

    I suppose travel is a symptom of the concept that the best lessons in life come thru experience. For life I try to expose myself to novel and challenging experiences in order to grow and learn.

  • Barbara Winter says:

    I was at the bank this morning and the teller asked if she’d see me again tomorrow. I told her I was headed to Colorado and she said, “Have fun.” I told her it wasn’t a vacation, but I was doing some seminars so I’d be having plenty of fun. I suspect she’s still puzzling over that.

  • Loralee Hutton says:

    I live for the journey, and work for fun. Somehow I’m able to blend my love of travel and work. It’s not a seamless process, many many bumps on the road. But I believe this makes it so much more exciting. Today marks the beginning of month two of a portable lifestyle. There are some days I find myself browsing the “help wanted” ads, and then I remember to ‘wake up’ and get back to my dream… ~ Loralee

  • Kay Gillard says:

    I find the spirituality in everything. Chores are ritual, happiness is divine celebration, inspiration is ecstasy, pain is growth, our experience of life is the web we weave, noticing the world around us is a conversation with our own god/s (whoever that may be). Spirituality for life.

  • Erica says:

    I dance and write for life. Sometimes I do both at the same time!

  • Tia Tuenge says:

    I make art for life. I write this from Paris, my first visit to the city of lights. I can say that while I like traveling okay I feel deprived of time at my studio while I’m away. Here I am in Paris with my true love and I’m thinking about getting home to my studio and painting… Lol

  • Sean says:

    Family. Exploration. Learning. All important for life.

    Oh yeah, and to genuinely laugh my butt off every now and then.

  • Fiona Leonard says:

    I help people discover moments of complete and joyous immersion in creativity. I write books people don’t want to put down, I unschool in weird and wonderful ways and I bring people into the theatre spotlight who never believed they could be there.

  • Gerard ~ GQ trippin says:

    I live to travel. I used to work. But since my job quit me, I can now plan for my RTW. =)

  • Austin L. Church says:

    I write for life and worship for life. I certainly hope I love for life. We’ll have to wait to find out for sure. I do travel for life and afterwards tell the stories that I’ve collected for life. A life without these pursuits wouldn’t be much of a life—more like a loaf.

  • emma says:

    I laugh.
    I create.
    I dream.

  • Tristan says:

    Another nice reminder post on a Friday. Thanks, Chris. I live to learn. I like languages. A lot. So I write about them, mess them up until I get better at them, and practice them. The travel bug never goes away, either.

  • Marti DeMoss says:

    I write for life, as many others here. And that includes traveling as often as I can. I’m still knocked breathless by the gorillas videos. You keep going Chris.

  • Bryan says:

    I create to live; music, design, film and poetry the majority of my every day.
    I broke up with my last manual labour dayjob;
    traded all that in so I could work in an office.
    I go everyday out of the need
    to help people communicate better.
    But all my off time is dedicated
    to finding ways to communicate
    and inspire people through multimedia.

  • Miro says:

    I love learning and treating people with natural therapies. I learned massage and shiatsu and it gives me much pleasure to help people. This is my post IT era and I feel very lucky indeed. I haven’t travelled/freelanced yet but that too may come one fine day.

    Miro

  • Tony Oquias says:

    I shoot. I write. And travel, sometimes.

    Working on doing that in reverse.

  • Pamela says:

    As a homeschooling family that follows our passions and interests rather than a set curriculum, it’s not easy to explain to people that we mostly learn for fun and because we want to, not because someone says we have to. We get a lot of blank stares from adults and baffled looks from kids at the idea of pursuing knowledge without being directed (or forced) by an outside party. It’s sad because they all probably had an inherent interest in learning at one time, but all that outside direction squelched it.

  • ERNIE G. says:

    Chris: Enjoyed your update. Some people need to work.
    Others need to take time to help others and in return
    end up benefiting themselves. Not learning from your
    travel & creativity was her “loss”.

  • Kara says:

    I paint naked people.

    I get funny looks when filling in forms requiring the ‘occupation’ field. But it’s the most fun occupation I’ve ever had, so yeah, i’d say this is what I do for life. 🙂

  • shellb says:

    I live for life and the magical moments it springs upon us.

    🙂

  • Estella says:

    I play with horses and try to find them and help them wherever I travel. My passion and mission is to help horses and humans understand themselves and each other better by using the principals of love, language, and leadership in Parelli Natural Horsemanship.

  • NMiller says:

    I am lucky I guess that I work in travel retail industry so travelling, airports, airlines is my life and what put food on the table & so far I am loving it.

  • Woody says:

    I capture moments, feelings and places in time! I wish i could travel more and expand my photographer gallery. So much to click and so little time and money.

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