Last week I went to a talk in the bookshop*, on the topic of travel writing. Notebook open, pen poised, I sat in the second row (near enough to hear in case the speaker had a soft voice, far enough to escape being picked on to answer awkward questions). I looked around at the rest of the group, curious to see who else shares the twin passions of travel and writing. A diverse bunch, it seems. The vibrant young American woman of Pakistani heritage, who lives in New Mexico and teaches literacy and wore wonderful elephant earrings. A couple of sociology professors. An Irishwoman with an encyclopaedic knowledge of travel literature, several books under her belt, arthritic fingers, and wisps of white hair escaping from under her Che Guevara style cap.

So, did I learn much about travel writing? Yes, I learnt a lot – about genre, technique, pitching, practical tips about organising my time. But here’s the thing. I learned some lessons about life, too. Echoes of things I’ve learned while travelling, too. So here they are, in no particular order:

Find your niche – maybe it’s food, maybe history or literature, maybe trains (like ‘the man in seat 61’).

Prioritise your passions. If you want to achieve something, make time and space in your life for it. Regularly. And starting now.

Take notice and take notes.

You’ll meet all sorts of people along the way. They all have a story, they all know something you don’t know. Most of them want to share it. Talk to them.

You’ll be exhausted sometimes, bored, uncomfortable. It doesn’t matter. It will pass. It goes with the territory.

And last, but not least – yes, you might worry about failing or being embarrassed. Yes, you might make mistakes. You never know until you try, more often than not the rewards are worth the risk. So go ahead and do it.

* The bookshop? Blackwells in Oxford, England. The best bookshop in the world. The speaker? The inimitable Jonathan Lorie, travel writer and teacher, who imparts his expertise with humour and generosity, and who has just published an essential book for anyone interested in travel and writing, ‘The Travel Writer’s Way”.