Travel Public Relations: I would rather be on the other side of the pitch

In school, I shook my head at the people who thought public relations was just like LC's life on The Hills, or even worse, Heidi's. They thought it was all parties, fashion shows and meeting famous people. In their mind, pr girls ran around the city with a latte in one hand and a cell phone in the other. In their mind, it was a hectic, but glamorous, profession. 

And here is the part where I admit that I viewed travel pr through the same rose-tinted glasses as those girls viewed fashion pr. I believed that because I love to travel, to write about the places I visit, and love to communicate that I could have the best of both worlds and get paid for something that I loved.

And this was far from the case. Travel pr, for the entry level people, is not a jetsetter lifestyle. There aren't exotic locations and experiences to write about. Someone else tells you how wonderful and splendid the resort or spa or restaurant is and expect you to gush about it as if you just returned from a week-long vacation at said location.

I am thankful that my delusions were brought back to earth before I created a life plan in my mind along that trajectory. After a few months sending out hundreds of pitch emails to travel writers and editors, I realized something. I would much rather be on the receiving end of those emails. 

And while I don't envision myself joining the ranks of thousands of other aspiring freelance travel writers and bloggers waiting to be given free trips and inside access to soon-to-open resorts, I know that I would much rather plan my life around being able to fund said trips and writing about them for free than being confined to a desk imaging how pristine the beaches are and desperately trying to convince someone to visit somewhere I haven't been myself.