Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Tonya Denmark. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Tonya, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.

Quitting a job is always risky. Quitting when you don’t have anything else lined up, and two small children at home is even riskier. While I had worked from home since my second child was born, taking shifts when my husband was home, I found myself unhappy in my current working situation. It was assumed that because we worked from home, we were available 24/7. I often found myself working 60 hours a week just to stay on top of my responsibilities while attending meeting after meeting that ate up so much of my time. It was not the vision I had for working from home. I was burned out, never felt like I had time for my children, even though I occupied the same space as they did, I was not flexible. And this was all in 2014, long before everyone else started working from home due to the pandemic. I did not have the understanding of my friends and family or the support I do now.
I decided to take a leap of faith, not knowing what was going to come next. I quit the 60-hour-a-week job right before the holidays. I did my homework and found many other legitimate work from home freelance opportunities. Freelancing and taking on clients is always risky, as their is no job security. However, freelancing worked out to be a lot less riskier than missing my children’s childhood.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

I am a freelance writer, focusing on travel writing. I write for my own website, Detail Oriented Traveler, as well as print and other online magazines. I write blogs, newsletters, and social media. For my personal site, I provide expert travel planning advice for busy parents who want to travel more with their kids, before they grow up.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

When my daughter was 9, I read somewhere that by that time, she has spent half the amount of time she will live under my roof. I didn’t want to waste another minute with my kids knowing they’d move out in another 9 short years. I also realized what travel did for our family connection. By spending time away from our obligations and commitments, we were able to enjoy each other’s company. That’s why I founded Detail Oriented Traveler. I want to take the travel planning hassle away and get you out the door to traveling more before your kids move out.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

My goal is to help other busy parents travel more with their kids before they grow up. I want them to realize travel does not have to be a 2 week trip to Europe or Disney World. It can be a weekend getaway to the lake or mountains. or a quick trip to the “big city” to see a show. It can be discovering the small towns that are less than an hour away from home. It all counts. As long as we’re disconnected to reconnect, all travel counts. Your kids may be surprised by what they can experience in their own city, state, or country.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.detailorientedtraveler.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dotraveler/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/detailorientedtraveler/

Image Credits
Tonya Denmark