It’s November, and yet it feels like September. Our temperatures for the foreseeable future are going to stay well above average. This gives us more time to get the work done outside that needs to be done before winter. And I’m still harvesting seeds from the zinnias and calendula.

Additionally, my writing/editing work is starting to ramp up. I have more opportunities and assignments, for which I am grateful. That said, I still have availability for new clients and projects!

And there’s something else…

I’m now a travel advisor for Fora, and my training started on Monday. By the end of this month, I’ll be certified, though I can book travel right now. And I used to be a travel agent ages ago, so this isn’t new territory for me exactly. But Fora’s way of doing things is definitely non-traditional and quite different from how I learned the career in the mid-90s.

So, why am I doing this? Well, for several reasons:

1. I like to research and book travel and create itineraries. I’ve been doing it for years. So why not get paid to do it?
2. It complements my travel writing very nicely and gives me more credibility as a travel writer.
3. We now live in a gig economy, so an additional income stream is never a bad thing.
4. It’s flexible. So I can do it wherever and whenever, as much or as little as I want. (No sales quotas!)

I’m just itching to get my first booking so I’m off and running.

Oh, and in case you’re wondering about my first attempt at being a travel agent… Well, I wasn’t long out of high school and hadn’t traveled much — I had never even been on an airplane! I got this idea in my head that I would lead this jet-setting life if I became a travel agent. And yes, high-performing travel agents do get to travel, often for free or at a deep discount. But I wasn’t high performing. In fact, I was barely allowed to do anything.

My first job out of travel agent school was at a Uniglobe office, and they made me pass the challenging trips to other travel agents. I was allowed to book non-stop domestic flights only. I lost interest in it pretty quickly and went back to college.

Anyway, fast forward to now. I’ve obviously seen a bit of the world. I’ve lived overseas. And experience and worldliness count for quite a lot in this business.