Where does a freelance travel writer work?

I know a travel writer can work from anywhere…a coffee shop, a beach, a hotel, a mountain top…but I like my own space.

Moving into a 4-bed house has been amazing for me; it has finally given me back a space to work. My dedicated office in the UK became the boys’ bedroom when they were born and I was relegated into the spare bedroom where I had to share my workspace with the guest bed and other junk. When E arrived, that became her room so I had to move to the dining room table. I’ve missed having my own space to work and escape the noise of the family.

The house we’re renting in Australia has big rooms, so my office has plenty of space to set up my perfect workspace. I brought most of the furniture with me in our container and I’ve invested in a few more bits from Ikea (yes, they have Ikea in Brisbane!) to finish it off so it has only cost a few pounds.

Office colour scheme

My office colour scheme is all centred around the yellow second-hand chair above which I picked up when we arrived in Brisbane.  It cost me about £12. I love the colour and I love the shape. I thought it felt like a real designer piece, but when I looked at the label underneath is says it originally came from Office Works, which I’m guessing is a bit like Office World in the UK 🙂

Office storage

My big Ikea Billy bookcase with a top box is the perfect place to store all of my work related books, copies of magazines I’m researching, clippings and brochures. It also holds my business finance folders from the last couple of years (the rest are stored in plastic boxes out of the way).  I have pretty storage boxes on the shelves storing my cameras and my camera gear like extra batteries, memory cards, mini tripods, camera cases and my GoPro accessories. A travel writer ends up owning a lot of camera gear!

Desk space

I’ve arranged two large Ikea desks tops – one for the family pc and the other for my laptop. The pedestal storage units are the perfect place to keep my stationery, business paperwork and receipts. Tucked under my desk is a huge fan bought for my office in the UK one hot summer many years ago. There is also a ceiling fan, but the room gets so hot so I need all the help I can get to stay cool. Note to self: When we buy a house remember to get one with air con throughout, not just in the living room!

I always have a weekly planner notepad on my desk as I’m a huge list geek. The one below from Lollipop was in the Blogtacular goody bag last year and I’ve just rediscovered it after unpacking.  I also love my Ikea hot pink file trays as I tend to throw junk in them that is pending. And possibly my most favourite thing in the office (aside from my photos) is this set of coasters below which I bought when we were on holiday at Butlins last year. Their holiday shop was filled with gorgeous little bits and bobs and I could have happily bought a lot more home with me but because we were moving I had to be strict with myself. ‘More ideas than time’ sums me up nicely.

I have two Ikea noticeboards to write on – one for my freelance work and the other for my blog. Did I mention that I’m a list geek?! I use these a lot when I’ve got multiple projects going on for different clients.

Although I have two large desks, it doesn’t actually give me much usable space to work from as there are printers and computers on the table tops, so I’ve set up a folding Ikea table to work from as well. It can fold into a small triangle or open out into a square. This means I have a small space to sit and read to edit and proof documents, or I can have a bigger space to organise a travel feature and come up with ideas about a destination. It has been really useful this week as I’ve sat down to co-ordinate a big web copywriting project that involved endless lists of data. As you can see, I’m now doing some last-minute planning for our upcoming visit to the Sunshine Coast.

Settling in and staying organised

Getting settled in our new home has taken a bit of time but we’re finally getting there. We may not be able to stamp our mark on the house as it is only rented, but that doesn’t mean putting up with boring décor. My office is full of colour, and I LOVE it!

Having my own workspace at last feels incredible. Now all I need is a portable air conditioning unit, a lock on the door and some noise cancelling headphones so I can properly hide out when I’ve got a deadline! (If a headphone brand or air con company is out there looking for reviewers, I’m your gal!)

PS I should add that this post wasn’t sponsored by Ikea, I just find the office furniture really great value!