“How’s Spain?” Everyone asked me this week when I was back in the UK.
“It’s great. Really great,” was my answer. Because what do you say when you can’t quite put into words the massive change and upheaval that moving abroad brings?
Yes, it is great. It’s really, really great. But it’s so much more than that, too. It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity, it’s something that I’ll look back on in many years and say, “do you remember that time I lived in Spain?” It’s amazing, wonderful, hard, and challenging all at the same time, and I still can’t quite believe it’s happening. But it is, so I thought I’d let you know how I’m getting on.
The first month
It has been proven that time goes slower when you’re learning and experiencing new things because the brain has to work harder to process it. When you’ve got a daily routine the brain doesn’t have to focus as much so time seems to speed up. The first couple of weeks in Igualada (the small town I’m living in just outside of Barcelona) went as slow as anything can possibly go. After one week it felt like I’d been here for a year.
But, as I slowly got settled and began slotting into a semi-routine, time sped up and now the weeks seem to whizz by.
How do I spend my days?
I don’t want to get into the whole “I get up, and I shower, and I eat, and I work” because, let’s face it, that’s dull as anything. But I know that if you’re anything like me, you like a little insight into people’s lives, especially if they are doing something a bit different or something you’d ultimately like to do. I’m not saying my days in Igualada are exciting – trust me, they’re far from it – but here’s a taster of what being a freelance writer in Spain looks like.
I wake up later than I did in the UK because, you know, Spain functions on a different schedule. I eat breakfast at my apartment or I might go out for a coffee or croissant. Whilst I’m doing this I check my emails to see if any new work has come in or if any of my clients have got in touch – but mostly I’m reading and fobbing off emails soliciting “guest posts” for my blogs. I’ll also take this opportunity to check in to the Wanderful World and Wanderarti Facebook pages and twitter accounts to see if anything needs responding to.
If I have time (or the internet – if you’ve been following along, you’ll know that I haven’t had internet for the past month, but don’t get me started on that because it’s not pretty) I’ll browse through my RSS feeds and schedule some tweets and Facebook posts to go out through the day. Then, if I have a post to go live I’ll format it, publish it, and promote it, which usually takes about half an hour.
That’s my morning done and, as you see, everything has revolved around my blogs which I currently don’t make any money from.
I’ll take a break for lunch – usually I cook something up at the apartment – and then I’ll take some time out to read, write a few thousand words of my novel, write up a blog post that I’ve been meaning to write for ages, or just generally chill out.
It’s late afternoon when the magic really happens. This is when I’ll sit down to do my client work and, depending on how much I have to do, this could take anywhere from a couple of hours to all evening (I try not to let it take all evening)! Then, I’ll either rustle up some dinner or go out to one of the restaurants or cafes in Igualada for a bite to eat.
Obviously, this routine isn’t set in stone. Some days I’ll be planning a little trip to somewhere, like the other week when I went to Figueres, and I’m quite often pitching for new work or researching companies I’d like to collaborate with.
When I’m out and about I try to take as many photos as I can to share on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, so I find that I’m never really “not working”. On travel weeks it’s more intense because I still have my client workload as well as the whole, you know, travel and enjoying it malarkey. Plus, I’m taking even more pictures, editing them, and drafting posts in my head or on Evernote.
See, it’s not so glamorous, even if I am living in Spain! I wish I had more time to visit other places, but it’s actually quite difficult to get anywhere from Igualada, and I have to take into account my client work and my deadlines. Once I’m more settled and I have a better grasp on how to handle my time I’m sure I’ll be flitting around Spain like nobody’s business.
The size of spring onions in Spain has probably been the biggest shock…
My first month of freelance travel writing
I can tell you now that going freelance is the best thing I have ever done, but I have to add the caveat that it’s not for everyone. You have to be extremely motivated otherwise you might end up spending your days on the sofa playing the Sims (this definitely hasn’t happened to me on more than one occasion……..). It’s up to you to find work, to complete it, to keep track of finances, and to chase clients up when they’re naughty and don’t pay. There’s no one on your back making sure you do this so it’s important that you stay strict with yourself.
In addition, I spend a lot of time on my own. I actually quite enjoy my own company, but I know that a lot of people relish the company and banter of an office environment. While I do like to talk to people (I’m not a reclusive hermit), I’m more than comfortable on my own. I think this is an important trait to have if you are considering being a freelance writer.
I have to admit, I’ve been a little embarrassed telling people that I’m a freelance travel writer, because I know a lot of people think it’s pretentious and “not a valid career”. I’ve learnt now, though, that for the most part people tend to be really interested in what I do and are actually pretty jealous (jealous of sitting on the sofa all day playing the Sims, obviously). Either that or they’re extremely skeptical and think I’m lying through my teeth.
I know that I work hard to stay on track and I’m most certainly not living off mummy and daddy’s money so that I can travel the world and write my memoirs (not that there’s anything wrong with this, it’s just not what I’m doing).
It’s a pretty common idea that travel writing is not the best career to go into if you love having wads of cash in your bank account each month. Whilst this is partly true, I’m in no way living the poor writer lifestyle. I’m earning the same, if not more, than I did in my 9-5 job and the money goes even further because the cost of living is lower in Spain – win win, really!
If you’d like me to elaborate more on being a freelance travel writer, please leave a comment with what aspect you like me to cover and, if I can, I’ll write up a blog posts on it. I know when I first went freelance I was reading all the blogs and articles about it that I could get my hands on, and it really helped finding out about other people’s experiences and how they cope.
I’d like to run a little side-line series about being a freelance writer, so let me know the questions you’re itching to know the answers to – nothing is out of bounds!
Spain is great
So, Spain is great. It’s really, really great. There’s so much more I would say if I could actually find the words to describe the feeling that puts a huge smile on my face every day. Basically I’m living the dream… Not just any dream – my dream.
So yes, you could say the first month has gone to plan!
PS. I did a little interview for the Hotels Cheap blog the other week, which offers a little insight into how I started travelling.
What do you want to know about being a freelance travel writer? Or are you one with some tips? Leave a comment below!
Sounds like you’ve made a good move – I wish I’d have tried it in my 20s but it’s too late now! Only question from me: can we see an example of your work?
It’s never to late! 😉 I think if I hadn’t have done it now I wouldn’t have ever done it. That’s a great question, you can definitely see some of my work… Let me get some examples together and I’ll link you up 🙂
Sorry for the delay! Here is a link to an example of a piece of client work: http://www.verychic.com/en/hotel.cms?id=2966
I moved to Spain at age 42 from the U.S.A.! It’s never too late to have an adventure, especially in Spain. http://www.bohemianagent.com
Such a brave decision, I’m so happy so see it going well thus far! 😉
So far so good! Thanks for following along Chris 🙂
Sounds amazing to me! Congrats on living out your dream. I would definitely love reading more about the behind the scenes of your travel writing. Currently my goal to finally make location independence happen this year as a with as well 🙂
Mariana recently posted…A Love Note To Pai, Thailand
Hi Mariana! Thanks for stopping by 🙂 I’ve got a few posts up my sleeve regarding going freelance in the next couple of weeks as well as another update on how it’s going in Spain for me so far. Good luck on your goal to become location independent – for ages I thought it was a pipe dream, but if you work hard enough it can become a reality 🙂
Hi Lizzie,
It’s really awesome that you’re making it work as a freelance writer. May I know how many hours do you spend pitching and how do you get retaining clients? Also, how much time do you spend on your freelance work and how do you balance that while managing this travel blog and your social media presence?
Hey Ying – for some reason I’ve only just seen this comment! Hopefully I answered all this in my email 🙂
Hi Lizzie, nice helpful write-up. How do you manage to get clients for freelance jobs in Spain? Are there local companies interested in english writing? How do you find them?
Glad it was useful! The beauty of working online is that you can work with any company in the world. Most of my clients are from the UK, America, and Australia 🙂
Wow that’s amazing. I’m thinking about quitting my job and going to Spain for a month to do an independent studies course. Literally write a research paper about the culture and literature and life of spain. But it’s scary. Idk what to propose to my professor.
That sounds great Angelica! The culture and literature of Spain is incredibly rich so you certainly won’t run out of things to write about 🙂
I’m moving to Madrid to teach english (and write..?.?.?.?). Did you send already written pieces to different publications (in English or Spanish?) or pitch things first?
Thanks!
Hi Gabriel! Great move – I’ll be moving near Madrid at the end of September 🙂 I think it’s best to pitch an article idea first because tone can change from brand to brand. Usually the editor will have some input as well, so it’s best to outline your ideas and then work together to produce a piece that fits well with the publication. Hope this helps and let me know if you have any more questions!
Hello,
Great story, very inspiring.
My wife, daughter and I have moved to Barcelona from Boston, USA. We will be here for 8 months, probably to write a book. We are French so there is no visa issue; however, I wanted to know how you deal with administrative things like nie card or social security.
Thanks.
Hi Kader, I hope you’re enjoying Barcelona so far!
I don’t have an NIE number because I’m registered self-employed in the UK. I spend a certain number of days in the UK each year and have had a permanent address there for more than 1 year – this means I can work as a freelancer anywhere in the EU. My boyfriend has an NIE number though (he’s a teacher in Spain).
Hi Lizzie,
What do you mean you have had a permanent address in the UK for more than 1 year? Do you mean that you had a permanent UK address or that you still do? And on the assumption that you don’t own a house/flat in the UK, how do you get a registered address? My husband is moving to Spain for work purposes and very soon, I will be in the same situation ! Thanks 🙂
Hi Anne! If you have an address in the UK that you’ve lived at for more than a year (rented or bought) you are still a tax/resident in the UK. I also travel back to the UK at least every 2 months for work, so I don’t fall into the category of staying over 90 days consecutively (which means you should get an NIE number). Some people use their parents/friends houses, too, but it depends entirely on your situation. Let me know if I can help any further!
Great comments and info. Trying to move to Spain soon, to concentrate on my passion, writing, after a serious health relapse. I know unemployment is high, but your blog has inspired me further. I hope to travel write and continue with my personal blog. Here’s hoping. Darren
Good luck Darren – I wish you all the best!