Going Cashless at a Hawker Centre in Singapore – DBS Paylah!
It’s been a long time since I wrote a reflective and more personal piece.
In the last 1.5years, I’ve been blessed to be able to turn travelling into a full time job. I work with brands, create content, and help them market their products. Not only have I been able to travel for free, I’ve also been able to earn a basic living from it. And now I have a small team that believes in the longer term plans of the company.
Yet lately I’ve been terribly unhappy. I get stressed easily, lose sleep (understatement), feel anxious, and am constantly worried about content/footage on my trips.
Will I be able to create a good video for my clients? Can my post go viral? What can we do to make our content better? Can we make the deadlines? What should we do if the weather goes bad? How can we maximise resources to sustain the team and business better?
The point is that I seem to have forgotten the reasons why I chose to go into travel. I forgot what it was like to discover and seek out new experiences. I forgot that time is necessary for serendipitous moments to happen. I forgot how much I love talking to locals and other travellers. I forgot how to have fun. I forgot how I used to travel as it turned into work.
While I occasionally comfort myself by saying this is more fun work instead of less fun travel, deep down I hope that there can be a better balance.
So here I am physically and mentally burnt out, exhausted. But I refuse to give up because I believe in the work I do.
It’s not much, but other than offering useful tips, I really hope to inspire more people to take that first step to travel with a more open mind. To not just travel to see the sights, but to also understand cultural differences and be more accepting to people different from us. To travel not just to show how awesome your life is, but to grow and develop as a person while understanding yourself. To be curious about how the world beyond our own world works. To throw yourself out there and step out of your comfort zones. To know that the world is not as dangerous as it seems. Travel is a great teacher, and I never want to forget that again.
So screw it, I’m going back to becoming a traveller. Content is still important in my line of work, but so is being true to yourself.
It’s going to be an uphill challenge, balancing both the business side of things and idealism. There will be times where work requirements will challenge the ideals. And other times where practicality needs to trump. But I’m going to fight the good fight and hopefully not lose myself again along the way.
There are bigger and longer term plans for The Travel Intern, and I hope to make them a reality in the next few years.
To future Hendric, accept that change and challenges are constant, but remember not to lose yourself. Also please take breaks.
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Miss personal pieces like this. Don’t forget to travel for yourself!
What a timely reminder, Hendric! I’m feeling this already and my website is only a month and a half old. If it were a baby it wouldn’t even crawl yet, much less walk, haha. Will defo keep your advice in mind as I travel on! (:
I followed Pohtecktoes before you started the business. Seeing all the commercial products you have rolled out in the past year, it made me wonder to myself, ‘How does Hendrick feel about this shift?’
In the past, I contemplated on ‘making money with traveling’, but then after a single ‘sponsored experience’, I decided not to go for it. I realized when people sponsor you to do something, you have to do it on their terms. Sure, there is some room for customization, but then, you still have deliverables at the end.
Rather than thinking, am I enjoying myself? You have to think, did I get all the information I need for the content I need produce at the end of this?
Although I do think there is still value in sponsored experiences, I agree with you that sometimes, you just need to find that balance of life and business. Make money, but still, have time to be close to your own ideals, be a traveler, without thinking too much of the commercial value of your experience.
All the best to you Hendrick! Look forward to Pohtecktoes and The Travel Intern’s growth :)
Wha Wee Teng,
Thanks for this. You’re right and that it’s all about balance. As much as I’ll love to lead this life without managing the biz side of things, it’s just not possible. It’s just about standing your ground with you own style and figuring out what is best for growth and the audience.
The Travel Intern has a long term goal of encouraging people to step out of their comfort zones more. While this may not be present in every piece of content, we do try to include it as much as possible in the current growth phase. A line or two here and there, or the occasional articles that are more of what we want people to read other than what they want to see.
It’s an interesting challenge though, but will be taking it head on!
Don’t lose heart. Find a balance between life and business. Talk to the sponsors and remind them what makes you great. If they are still persistent, let it go. Something better will come along.
I just got back from my uk trip. Your London itinerary was as a great guide for us when we were there. We enjoyed ourselves very much. Love flat iron a lot. Hahaha.
I was just planning for our next trip. Myanmar looks interesting. We may not explore these places without guides like you. Do keep up the good work.
Thanks Pauline. Things are better now at https://thetravelintern.com. Do check it out too!
Thanks for sharing your views on traveling. I personally feel that you always learn something new with every new travel.
Thanks!