Writing Away From Home: What Works, What Doesn’t

Taking your work on the road.

I just finished reading Melanie Brook’s “Where You Should—and Shouldn’t—Go To Write” article on Freelance Switch and have arrived at different conclusions than what she did. I’m not here to criticize Melanie’s viewpoint, rather to say this: writing away from home can work for you, but your experience can certainly be different from mine.

Places to Work

Melanie noted that writing at coffee shops, other people’s homes and at the park do not work. She also said that writing at colleges and universities, at the library or at a hotel can work. I have experience working at each of the venues mentioned by Melanie, so please allow me to explain what works for me and what doesn’t.

Coffee shops — As I write this, I am working at the Hope Cafe in Raleigh, N.C. I frequent this place approximately once per week, sometimes twice per week in the summer when my kids are home from school. This place is relatively quiet and, yes, I do get some interruptions. However, the “social” time here is typically very beneficial, allowing me to converse directly with other freelancers while still getting my work done. Tip: — Hard deadlines should be handled in a quiet place such as in your home office.

Other peoples’ homes — Rarely do I work in someone else’s home, but when the need arises, I arrange for this well in advance. This summer we’re taking a trip and I’ll need to bring my laptop with me. We’re staying with a family friend and she has already arranged for me to work from her home for one or more days, as needed. If her wi-fi connection isn’t up to snuff, I’ll go her apartment complex’s common area to gain a connection.

At the park — The closest I’ve worked in a park is to work in my park-like backyard. I still had a strong wi-fi connection as some parks offer, but it wasn’t getting online that was the problem. Rather, the ample supply of natural light did it for me even as I adjusted my screen to compensate. If you want to work at a park, fine some shade or go on a cloudy day. And, plan to work offline as an Internet connection can be difficult to access. Tip: — Bring along the sunscreen!

Colleges and universities — I tried to work at nearby N.C. State a few times, but Internet access was blocked to everyone who wasn’t a student or faculty member. I’ve worked at a few community colleges where Internet access was open, thus I’ve had mixed results with this option. I’ve learned never to work in a college library during exam time.

Library — My local library offers several branches offering Internet access. The only problem I’ve had here is that the seats may be uncomfortable or the desks aren’t suitable for typing. My favorite library is one where I can find a plush lounge chair sequestered in some obscure corner of the building such as a nook in the seldom-used reference section. Ah, such peace!

Hotels — Whenever I’m on a business trip, the laptop is with me. At hotels I seem to always enjoy excellent access to the Internet and can get a lot of work done. Melanie mentioned renting a hotel room to get the work done. I have yet to do that, but if there is ever a big project I need to tackle, then this option is a good one. Just hang the little sign on the door to remind the cleaning people to stay out! Tip: Internet access should be free with your stay and not a system that throws you out periodically.

Giving it a Try

If you haven’t given these options a try, what is stopping you? Hopefully, not someone’s opinion. In any case, if you have some ideas you would like to share or have some other feedback, then do tell.

See Also — Taking it on the Road: Smart Tips for Freelancers

Taking it on the Road: Smart Tips for Freelance Writers

When your job calls you far away from home.

At some point in your freelance writing career, you’ll have the opportunity to take your show on the road. What I mean is that a client will contact you about visiting their facility or a business might pay your way to attend a conference or other event of significance.

Automotive Specialty

I write about a number of subjects, but my speciality is automotive. I’m so involved with this industry that I maintain an online publication, Auto Trends Magazine to showcase my work and to keep tabs on an industry I thoroughly enjoy. Auto Trends is typically updated twice daily, much more so than this site or any other website or blog that I manage. My traffic numbers are good and I have a loyal following of readers including a number of influential industry people.

Beyond online writing, I contribute to print publications, which raises my profile further. Collectively, my visibility has gotten me noticed, so much so that I’m regularly invited to check out a new car, am flown out at the business’ expense to drive one or more vehicles, I get to interview engineers and marketing professionals, and will rub shoulders with my colleagues. Last year I made five such trips; this year I’ve already taken two and expect to take at least six more.

Trip Benefits

I wouldn’t take these trips if there wasn’t some side benefit. Typically, I do not get paid to travel. But, my expenses are covered including airfare, lodging and show access. My lone expense usually is the fees for leaving my car at the airport. If it is for one or two days I expense it. For longer trips I have someone drop me off at the airport or I pass this cost on to the client.

I’ve been taking client-sponsored trips for more than four years, but have taken business trips for more years than I can count. Soon after I launched my freelance business in November 2002, I began to travel, but I must say that it has been in the past five years that my traveling has stepped up, particularly since 2011 as the economy recovers.

All this coincides with a few steps I made on my end to take advantage of my more frequent travels, changes that pay off in rewards sooner and later:

Sign up for airline miles — Most of my trips involve one airline, Delta, therefore I have a Skymiles account. I soon realized the importance of having one when my clients asked for my frequent flier information. Previously I had airline miles accounts with American and Southwest, but Delta is big at Raleigh-Durham where my trips originate. So, Delta is my choice and whenever I fly those points are assigned to my account.

Choose an airline credit card — Naturally, I need a credit card when I fly and I chose an American Express card that added 20,000 or more Skymiles to my account the moment I used it. I have more than double that amount right now, enough to take a round-trip flight within the continental U.S. for free. I use that card for my other business expenses, but I pay it off each month. An annual fee kicks in after one year, but I have determined that the fee is worth it. Besides, I can deduct it on my income taxes too.

Select a hotel credit card — Most consumers have two or more credit cards, therefore if you are working with more cards, then you may want to get one that is tied in with where you usually stay. For my family it is Marriott so we have a related card for stays there. When I say “us” I mean my wife and I — this card is in both our names and is what we use when we make major purchases. Again, we pay the card off each month and the annual fee is nominal. A trip we’re planning to take later this year will give us three free nights, with only one night for us to cover. We’ll charge that night on the Marriott card to earn double points. Yes, we’ll pay our card balance off to avoid charges.

Discounts on car rentals — Rarely do I need a rental car when I take my trips. I’m met at the airport and then whisked to the test location. I really do not like dealing with rental car companies, but I know that if I need to either one of my credit cards will give me a discount, usually one that is better than AAA provides. Moreover, with my cards I can waive the insurance charge, as both my auto insurer and credit card issuer provide coverage. This summer I’ll need to rent a car for personal use and expect to save up to 40 percent through various options I have at my disposal.

Keeping track of miles — On occasion, I take a trip that involves using my car to get there. If you play it right, your client should cover this expense. Sometimes, however, I pay for the gas to get me to the event especially if there are other benefits available such as the opportunity to interview an influential person or gain access to a show that is hard to get in to. In this case, I carefully track my miles and when tax time comes that trip is listed on my taxes. For 2012, the standard mileage rate allowed by the IRS is 55.5 cents per mile. That means the 300-mile round-trip adventure I took this spring is a $166.50 deduction.

Keep in Mind

One thing to be very careful about is how you handle your trips. What I mean is if you are writing a story and will be posting it to a website or blog, then you need to disclose that the trip was paid for by your client. The way I handle this is by making mention of that at the end of the article by including the following: “My trip to ABC convention was paid for by XYZ automotive.” Or something to that effect. I want to do two things here: 1), abide by FTC disclosure rules; and 2), maintain trust with my readers. My hosts don’t expect a glowing review of a product in exchange for their bankrolling my trip as they know the FTC and journalistic rules too. My reports are objective and hopefully just as interesting to my readers had I paid for the trip myself.

Do I take every trip offered? No, not a chance. If it doesn’t fit into my schedule or isn’t a fit for what I do, then I don’t go. Sometimes, a family obligation or the need to make money trumps going on a trip. If I have plenty of notice, then I plan accordingly, completing my work in advance and taking advantage of all of the goodies while I am away.

See Also — Food Lion AutoFair Offers Something for Everyone