When I tell people what I do for a living, the reaction is almost always the same, some variation on: "What a great job! I would love to be a travel writer."
I used to try to explain, after my initial agreement, that it's not like they think, that I'm not on vacation, enjoying the sights; I'm trying (sometimes futilely) to meet interesting people, learn new things, find a compelling story.
But I've stopped doing that. Now I look at the person with interest and ask: "Really? What was the last travel book you read?"
