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Home » Travel Planning and Advice » Travel Blogging » Travel Blogging: The Importance of Your Physical Blogging Space
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Travel Blogging: The Importance of Your Physical Blogging Space

Last updated: January 5, 2014- Written by Jessica Norah 18 Comments

As I have been travel blogging for several months now, I have begun to realize how important my blogging space is to me—by which I literally mean my physical blogging space. This past week, I have been trying to write posts from a hospital as Ethan has been recovering from surgery this past week (he was born with a congenital heart problem), While I thought that having hours and hours to sit around each day would allow me to still blog, I haven’t written a single post this past week. In addition to the obvious stress of the situation, the hospital is not a place I can work with bustling healthcare professionals, loud beeping sounds, blinking lights, and constant interruptions. I recently wrote a guest post on Kate’s Diary of an Essex Girl blog about physical blogging space after a recent move, and this last week trying to work in a hospital only made me think more about how important a good blogging space can be.

Travel blogging—or any type of blogging for that matter—can be easy sometimes with the words just pouring out and other times it can be quite frustrating and difficult to get a post completed. At least this is how it goes for me. Sometimes when I sit down to my laptop to write a post, I can’t decide what to write about or I just find it too hard to actually type out what I am thinking in some sort of logical, readable manner. I have set a very general blogging schedule for myself of three posts per week with no specific days of the week set; however, even with this schedule I sometimes get behind and don’t complete three posts within a given week. While there are a number of reasons (i.e., excuses I tell myself), one of the things that I have found which makes this process easier for me is having a good physical blogging space. An area where I feel comfortable and can sit down without a lot of interruption and get my thoughts typed out.

While you can of course write good stuff anywhere (in fact, many travel bloggers write as they travel) I think that having a good blogging space makes it a heck of a lot easier. We recently just moved and I have not been able to manage to keep up with my three posts a week and part of this is due to not really having a good space to work during the moving process. However, while at my old apartment I had a desk, I always found the area to be too dark and I always felt sort of cooped up at my desk. I would sometimes have to force myself to actually sit there and work while feeling like I would rather be doing something else. One of the things I realized is that I really enjoy having some outdoor space and so when we moved we chose a space that was smaller and older, but came with a large patio. This patio space has become my new office space and place where I can do my travel blogging—well, in good weather anyway. I also still have a small desk inside next to a window for those days when it is cold or rainy outside.

travel blogging, blogging space
my new blogging space!

What Do you Want in a Physical Blogging Space?

This led me to think about and make a list of some of the ideal things I would like to have in a blogging space (in no particular order) and to what degree I’ve been able to incorporate them into my new blogging space:

• Space – CHECK – The patio table allows plenty of room for my two most important things: my laptop and cup of coffee or tea! So far the patio table and chair is working out as an adequate office space although I am a bit concerned that a patio chair may not be the best for my back in the long-term.

• Relaxed Atmosphere – DOUBLE CHECK – I often walk outside with slippers or with bare feet, sometimes straight out of bed (well, after a brief detour at my coffee maker) without even stopping to brush my hair. Perhaps I am a bit too relaxed, haha, but I love being able to come to a place I want to actually be rather than feeling like it is just a space to do work.

• Steady Internet Connection – CHECK (tentatively) – Unfortunately, one of the downsides to working on the patio is that we are having Internet connectivity problems. When we first moved in, we  had poor connectivity throughout the apartment, which was quite frustrating. But now after having the Internet Service company come out and do some physical wiring, our problems seem to be resolved. Fingers crossed.

• Quiet – CHECK – I have a really hard time focusing and writing when I hear people talking or the TV in the background and prefer to work in silence or with music playing in the background. Most of the time it is super quiet outside here, although there are days when I have to listen to annoying construction sounds and noisy neighbors, but generally I think there will be more quiet days than not. I also just leave my cell phone inside if I don’t want to be disturbed.

• Plants – CHECK – We have a pot of cat grass and a planter full of herbs on the patio, not to mention we are surrounded by trees!

travel blogging, blogging space

• Pets – CHECK – One of our cats Dodger loves being outside on the patio and Dash, our other cat, is slowly getting over his fears that come along with having always been a pampered indoor kitty.

travel blogging, blogging space
Dodger – one of our two wonderful cats who LOVES the outdoors but hates his leash
travel blogging, blogging space
a cat born to roll around in the sunshine

• Fresh Air – DOUBLE CHECK – I never realized how much I missed being outside and not having any outdoor space in our old apartment. But so far I am loving working outside, at least some of the time.

• Light – CHECK (during daylight hours anyway) – Nothing better than natural sunshine, although I am still trying to figure out the lighting situation for when it is dark outside. I really hated how dark it was in our last apartment, even next to the window, and I am so grateful for the opportunity to work in natural light!

travel blogging, blogging space

A Good Travel Blogging Space Isn’t Going to Make Everything Perfect…But it Sure Helps!

One of my grad school advisors once told me that all I needed to write my Master’s thesis was a typewriter and a cat perched on my desk. I think he was trying to say that you need to find a space that you enjoy and I think that perhaps I have finally found that as I’ve never truly liked most of the places I’ve had to work during my life (including my current office space at my job). A happier blogging space won’t solve my problems with sticking to my travel blogging schedule, but I do hope it will help me feel more motivated to work and stay on track. There are, of course, a lot of downsides to working outside, such as having your papers be snatched away by the wind, having to drag things back and forth from inside the apartment, putting up with the flies that land on your coffee cup, having to brush the dirt out of your keyboard, etc. While for many people, falling leaves, insects, squirrels, and the sounds of the great outdoors may not sound like an ideal work environment, I am loving it here so far, dirt and all.

Do you think your physical blogging space matters? What is your blogging space like and what would be your ideal blogging space?

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There are 18 comments on this post

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  1. Jaryd Post author

    January 31, 2014 at 8:55 pm

    I read about this a lot, a fair number of bloggers really need their own little area shut off from the world. I however am now used to it and can switch off background noises, to a degree (obviously not loud sirens and ext.) What i do is think of my post ideas whilst on a bus, train, plane or before I am about to fall asleep and I write a paragraph or two on my smartphone. Once it comes time to writing them I flip up my laptop put my head back in the same frame of mind and quickly punch out what i was thinking about and bam its there on the screen. I find if you write how you would if you were verbally telling someone your opinion, story or whatever, it flows out. Then you can go back and edit it 🙂 Hope that helps

    Reply
    • travelcats Post author

      February 1, 2014 at 9:53 am

      Hi Jaryd, thanks for stopping by. Yes, I love having my own area that is quiet and where I feel relaxed. But since winter came, I am back inside and now writing on my kitchen table, desk, coffee shop, or from the couch so I agree that you have to be able to find ways to make it work wherever you happen to be. I hope to get better at this so I can write and travel at the same time more easily.

      Reply
  2. Meghan Post author

    November 13, 2013 at 12:55 pm

    First of all, I hope Ethan is recovering well from his surgery! And secondly, I fully agree with you about have a good space to write. I have actually found that if I try to write on my couch or on my bed, I get much less done and do a whole lot more internet browsing. But if I sit down at a table or a desk, I focus on getting things done. I’m jealous that your writing space is outside — I’m living in Minnesota right now and it seems like half the year, it’s below freezing!

    Reply
    • travelcats Post author

      November 14, 2013 at 1:01 am

      Thanks Meghan, he is recovering and hopefully will be home from the hospital soon. Yes, living in California does have its advantages for working outside:)

      Reply
  3. Bonnie Post author

    November 13, 2013 at 12:48 pm

    My blogging space is a computer armoire. Talk about small and cramped! I tend to blog instead on my sofa with my laptop on my lap. Trouble is when my little doggie, Cookie, sees me on the sofa; that’s usually her cue to come and sit on my lap. I move my laptop closer to my knees to accommodate her and try to key over her but end up giving up and finishing my writing at work on my break. I gotta find another way.

    Reply
    • travelcats Post author

      November 14, 2013 at 1:00 am

      Yes, pets in your lap can really make blogging hard. Hope you find a less cramped and more comfortable blogging space soon!

      Reply
  4. Holly B Post author

    November 13, 2013 at 11:36 am

    My blogging space is mainly my sofa, but I’d kill for a patio in warm weather to write from! Your outdoor space + the kitties looks wonderful 🙂

    Reply
    • travelcats Post author

      November 13, 2013 at 9:54 pm

      Sofas can be comfy too, unfortunately we have a very old and uncomfortable one to sit in right now.

      Reply
  5. Elicia Shepard Post author

    November 12, 2013 at 11:12 pm

    Love this one. I agree a relaxed atmosphere is a MUST! I love having some tea/coffee and also some music playing in the background. Not to loud or distracting though. A clutter free space helps my productivity.

    -Elicia @ lifesajouree

    Reply
    • travelcats Post author

      November 13, 2013 at 8:55 am

      Sounds like you really know how to set up a great atmosphere for blogging!

      Reply
  6. Amy Post author

    November 12, 2013 at 7:45 pm

    My office space at work has no windows so it is not very conducive to working for my day job. I find that I need to get up a lot and check out the other spaces that have natural light – I am a manager so it is good that I get up and see what is going on with my employees. It is especially bad now with the time change and it is dark when I get home. I’ve been blogging with my laptop, on the couch with one of my terriers next to me. I think that I will try to blog outside on the weekends where I can hear our pond and the leaves fall. I hope that your husband is on the road to recovery.

    Reply
    • travelcats Post author

      November 13, 2013 at 8:51 am

      Yeah, I think I have realized how much happier I am with good light and windows. It really makes a difference for me.

      Reply
  7. Laurie Post author

    November 12, 2013 at 6:46 pm

    I have a blogging space. I need a better space. Hospitals aren’t conducive to much of anything except for, well, medical things. Thanks for sharing my SITS Day.

    Reply
    • travelcats Post author

      November 13, 2013 at 8:55 am

      Yes, hospitals are not good for blogging. Again, happy SITS day:)

      Reply
  8. Meredith Post author

    November 12, 2013 at 3:25 pm

    It is somewhat surprising how much of an influence your physical writing space can have on the creative juices! When I first began, I thought I could blog from anywhere but my type A has quickly taught me that’s just not the case. I usually work from my desk at home or outside on the patio (when it’s cool enough), but there is always a kitty or two involved. Something about having those guys lounging around really helps me to relax and focus 🙂

    Reply
    • travelcats Post author

      November 12, 2013 at 3:29 pm

      Sounds like we like similar blogging spaces:)

      Reply
  9. Nicki Lewis Post author

    November 12, 2013 at 6:10 am

    Dodger looks like my kitty but mine is 19 lbs. He is a indoor cat and loves to have blinds open and look out and he rolls just like that. My hubby says he dreams of going outside lol

    Reply
    • travelcats Post author

      November 12, 2013 at 11:35 am

      Aren’t cats great? Yes, Dodger is a special kitty who loves the outside:)

      Reply

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