Last week, I spent time thinking about all things writing, especially in relation to the growing discourse on AI use and the ongoing degradation of travel writing. When I came across this article from Between the Dots, it made me question the purpose and future of publications like Road Life Adventure.

The author discusses how the internet and the rise of travel influencers have changed the way we travel, as well as the demise of great resources like Lonely Planet. One quote in particular that really stood out to me was this:

Without a doubt, I have noticed a trend towards professionally curated and edited images, often accompanied by AI-generated writing that feels more like an inauthentic marketing message than heartfelt stories about adventure. It has become more about capturing likes than captivating an audience.

I have detested the standard kind of articles that many travel publications and writers have produced for years, the type of commoditized posts that simply reduce travel to a top ten list of places to see and check off, while pandering to the algorithms and search engine gods in order to be noticed. Sadly, I have also been guilty of these kinds of practices in the past, but I am fighting hard against them today.

During my time of contemplation, I fixated on whether travel writing in the future has any hope of sustainability or if it will be killed off by mass-produced content mostly created by machines, or destroyed by the dopamine hits provided by video. And there’s no denying that video killed the radio star!

It’s far easier for people these days to consume reels and shorts than to read a lengthy article, which is evidenced by the billions of views for travel-related videos and the insanely exponential growth of YouTube or TikTok. Humans are more inclined to be entertained by good-looking influencers on screen than to engage in the critical thinking required of diving into a good book, guide, or publication. This is not a slam on those who prefer video to reading, but a testament to how culture has changed since the internet’s inception.

Ultimately, this is why Donetta and I attempted to complement our writing endeavors and gain traction with our YouTube channel.

Yet as we tried to plan, film, edit, and publish our videos, it became quite overwhelming, and honestly, felt inauthentic because the focus was on entertaining viewers rather than inspiring them to step away from the screen to seek their own adventure. It also kept us from being present in the moment. So we put it on pause.

The same can be said for Instagram. We deleted our Road Life Adventure account because it was a stagnant recollection of mostly curated images designed to get likes.

Thankfully, millions of people love to read, which is good news, because we truly love writing about and sharing our experiences with you. Still, this leads me to ask an important question and to seek your input.

What compels you to want to read about travel?

I’m very curious as to what draws you in the most and makes you want to learn more, in addition to subscribing to any travel publication on Substack or other platforms.

Of course, it can be all of these, a combination, or none, but this poll feature doesn’t give me enough options, so I’ll concentrate on one thing. If you have additional input, I sincerely appreciate it if you drop it in the comments section below.

When I consider the enshitification of the travel and hospitality industry as a whole, paired with the demise of great writing and the increase of AI-produced content, it is extremely valuable to gather feedback. Donetta and I dream of building a future here and someday earning a living from travel writing and our Road Life Adventure brand, but we also don’t want it to become like every other curated experience online, either.

Is there a future in travel writing? Please tell us what you think.

Every person who responds and shares their input will be entered into a drawing for a free gift from our online store, which will also be getting a facelift, new products, and hand-drawn artwork made by yours truly soon.

Thank you for reading!

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If you’ve ever followed any location-independent blog or Instagram account, you’ve seen those glorious photos of the freelancer happily working away while sitting by the Caribbean blue waters on a white sandy beach with an adult beverage in hand. #LifeIsGood 💕

What most people don’t realize is that a freedom lifestyle business rarely ends up like the fairytale stories sold by these content creators.

Sure, we get to work from anywhere while playing by our own rules. And yes, there are some days when building a digital business by the beach is possible.

But most of the time, you’re grinding it all out in your travel van or RV, in a motel, or by hanging out at coffee shops. #TheRealLife 💁

Don’t get me wrong.

It’s still an awesome way to live and work! I’d rather do that than spend hours in traffic going to a “real” job. It’s just that so many of the digital nomads sharing their lifestyle are really marketing a fantasy in exchange for your hard-earned dollars.

So I won’t bullshit you. Here’s the truth about it all.

The Pros of Working from Anywhere

The best aspect of running a digital business is the ability to travel and see the world at your own pace. But there are other benefits, such as improved mental wellness and greater freedom in your daily life.

These are some of the biggest reasons people choose to become digital nomads.

1. You can move to new locations each day or stay in place for weeks.

2. You can experience different cultures, cuisines, beverages, and landscapes.

3. You can build your life around new adventures or interests.

4. You can spend more time doing what you love and work less.

5. You can meet people and build relationships wherever you go.

6. You can enjoy the great outdoors and be more physically active.

As you can see, these are some strong points for being location-independent. It can certainly offer you a fantastic future of happiness.

The Cons of Working from Anywhere

In life, there are ups and downs. The worst aspect of becoming a digital entrepreneur is embracing the fear of the unknown. There will be times when things don’t go as planned, and you'll need to adapt.

Here are some of the most common drawbacks of working on the road.

1. You can’t get dependable WiFi everywhere, which will affect your work.

2. You can’t predict the flow of business so that it can be feast or famine.

3. You can’t budget every travel expense because rates change constantly.

4. You can’t trust that there will always be hotel rooms or RV spots available.

5. You can’t play ALL the time AND expect to make a living.

6. You can’t expect everything to go the way you envisioned.

These problems will require you to be flexible in your daily work routine while working from the road. It can be mentally draining and stressful at times.

Is it all worth it in the end?

Overall, your experience will depend on several factors, including how you travel, your current financial situation, where you will be staying, and your type of business.

But I can tell you we have enjoyed our life on the road.

Even though being a digital nomad and running online businesses has challenges, we wouldn’t have it any other way. We can’t imagine going back to a “normal life” in the foreseeable future.

Think about it like this.

No matter where you work, whether it’s a traditional business or an unconventional company, there will always be pros and cons for each.

Nothing is ever perfect. So why not explore the options?

The biggest question you have to answer is, do you believe it will make you happier to work from anywhere? If so, you need to do it.

You will never know how it works out until you try. It’s always possible you will hate it or fail at it, but the pain of regret will always hurt more.

Take a leap of faith. Go for it.

I know, I know. Just pick something and stick with it!

That’s the voice inside my head right now because it’s what I constantly hear from my lovely wife, Donetta. She’s right. At least I’m brave enough to admit it.

Yet, having been in the digital media space for several decades and knowing the complexities of publishing platforms, it’s not always easy to choose the right path for creating and sharing your content—especially when things are changing so quickly these days and AI is taking over the world! Not to mention the actual cost for it all.

Over the last couple of months, we’ve been busy buying a camper van, learning to live in one, working harder to grow our YouTube channel, and evaluating how we invest our time in Road Life Adventure going forward. And because we love what we do and want to make a living from it, we’ve had to ask ourselves some hard questions, like how we actually make it happen and where to focus our efforts. 🤔

Some of you know we originally started writing on our WordPress website before moving to Substack a few years ago. Then, amid ongoing controversies and problems with this platform, we moved everything to Ghost. Seemed logical, right? We wanted to protect our work and avoid the drama. Now we’re back.

Rather than giving you a deep dive now, I’d like to keep this short and sweet as to my reasons for returning to Substack.1

Why We’re Back to Substack

Money: Ghost is an excellent platform with features I love, but paying $300 per year for a website that’s not getting much traffic and doesn’t generate any income isn’t a wise investment when Substack is free.

Community: There’s a strong, active community here, something that Ghost currently lacks. It’s nice to be in a place where you can connect with other talented people and not feel completely alone.

Engagement: People enjoy a variety of content, and this platform is perfect for writing, videos, social media, and podcasting — all activities we do or enjoy. Why not create a mix of engaging, interactive content in one place?

Simplicity: Publishing is a lot of work, especially when you do it across multiple platforms. This increases our stress and cuts into our travel time. We’re simplifying the process and focusing our efforts.

Now comes the lengthy process of moving our content back here to Substack. I wish the import and export features made this easier, but alas, they do not — which is another frustrating reminder to pick something and stick with it. Yes, Donetta was right. LOL!

In the meantime, I’d like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who continues to follow us on this adventure and who has connected with us! 🙏

We don’t take your time for granted, and we appreciate your encouragement, advice, feedback, and recommendations. It really does mean the world to us and we’re thankful for every connection point we make with you. We’ve made new friends all over the world and that is priceless.

Additionally, if you previously unsubscribed and were inadvertently re-added to the list, we apologize for the error. This is one of the problems with moving again and the import feature. We’d love for you to reconsider, but you can unsubscribe again. Sorry!

We’ll publish some new material soon, but we want to wish everyone a Happy Holiday and a Happy New Year in advance. We hope you are doing great and staying healthy.

See ya soon. Thanks again!

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As many people in the United States and parts of central Europe have been experiencing arctic temperatures and snow, we are enjoying sunshine and decent weather in Sedona, Arizona. But wherever you may be, I hope you are safe and warm.

So over the holidays, I spent time contemplating my future and where I needed to go as a creative professional, as well as what exactly we should do with this publication in 2025 and beyond.

I think it’s beneficial and extremely valuable to evaluate where we’ve been and where we want to go, so we can make adjustments to improve our lives. This is more than coming up with resolutions that get tossed aside in the first two weeks of the new year; it’s about having a hard, candid conversation with yourself to understand what needs to change. And to be honest, it can be a painful process at times!

However, when you take the time to ask and answer those difficult questions, this form of self-therapy can help you become a better person.

In my own life, this practice has helped me let go of past hurts and regrets, forgive myself for stupid mistakes, make better choices for the future, uncover solutions that made me happier and healthier, and provided clarity for my endeavors.

The result has been a beautiful experience!

Anyways.

I’d like to share how all this deep contemplation has given me renewed energy for Road Life Adventure and our endeavors.

💡

My vision is to build a brand and community centered around passion for adventure travel, bringing people together from all walks of life to explore and enjoy the world around us.

I’ve spent decades wandering in the proverbial desert trying to find my way to the promised land, a place where I could bring together my passions, experiences, interests, and skills in a way that brings me happiness and peace, but also in a way that could inspire and be meaningful to others.

It all fits perfectly with the vision for Road Life.

There are no simple words to express how the adventure travel lifestyle has changed both of us, but we can say we have absolutely loved it. Now we really want to build our future around it.

Our goals for 2025 and beyond.

1. Focus on storytelling that ignites an adventurous spirit.

2. Create a community of kindred spirits.

3. Share the stories of other adventurers and travelers.

4. Generate goodwill for the places we visit and the people we meet.

5. Celebrate our adventures together in person.

6. Build a brand that means something.

7. Launch a store of curated travel adventure products.

For us, this is more than just an online publication; it’s everything we've been dreaming about!!! Therefore, we’re deeply committed to seeing this vision become a reality.

I’ve written about our magazine launch before, and we’ve made some good progress, but it’s definitely not anywhere close to what I want it to be yet. This year, it’s time to really amp it all up and make it happen.

One of the biggest ideas we want to start ASAP is interviewing other travelers and adventurers about their experiences. I’ve met some awesome people over the years who inspire me and have way more insights than I do. Why not give them a place to share their advice or lifestyle with us? Maybe it will be via a podcast, video, or a post, but this could be super fun.

I also want to work harder at storytelling, as travel books did in the past, and not just write the same “10 Things to Do and See” type of posts everywhere else. Those things serve a purpose, but I’d love for you to feel the adventurous spirit as you read, then be motivated to get out there and live it.

Plus, we want to encourage travelers to adopt better travel strategies, ensuring the local communities we spend time in receive our goodwill and care in ways they never expected. This is desperately needed in a time when over-tourism has left a bitter taste in people’s mouths all over the world.

We have more ideas, but this is the start.

Travel writing for the average person.

• People who are dreaming about the adventure travel lifestyle.

• People who are living this dream every single day.

• People seeking a community of roadies just like them.

More than anything, we want to bring ordinary people together and see them live their own adventures before it’s too late in life.

Most travel publications cater to retired or financially wealthy readers, making these dreams seem hopeless and unattainable, or focus on extravagant experiences that most middle-aged, middle-income Americans cannot afford. There is a different way, and we want to show others how to do it.

Road Life isn’t about staying in $10,000 per night hotels or taking an all-inclusive trip to the Arctic Circle to do the polar plunge; it’s about responsibly exploring the world around you on a budget until you can’t do it anymore.

There are plenty of resources for vacation travel. Not many for full-time nomads.

Especially on limited funds.

Building community matters.

If I had to give you one aspect of the adventure travel lifestyle that really sucks, especially if you’re a solo traveler, it is not having others to celebrate it with.

Most humans long for a sense of community, and when you’re constantly on the move, it makes it extremely difficult to make new friends or connect with others who share similar passions.

I don’t know how to create it, but I know what it looks like. Maybe this year we’ll find some way to build it.

It would be super cool if we could hold adventure meetups at different locations or throw a huge shindig every year to have fun, other than just focusing on online efforts.

Whatever happens, though, strong community matters.

How will you live your adventure this year?

Unless you randomly found yourself at this website, chances are you stopped here for a reason. Maybe you have a lust for adventure or travel, too.

If so, what are your hopes for 2025?

I want you to really think about it and share it with us. Not only are we curious to know what you want to do, but sharing it also helps it become a reality. That’s exactly why I’ve written this post. LOL!

Of course, you can write it down and keep it to yourself.

You can also subscribe to our publication for free.

Either way, we love helping people live their own adventures, so if you think of ways we can make that easier for you (besides giving you a truckload of cash), please let us know.

Your input means a lot.