The best thing about being a freelance writer is...

Well, actually, there are plenty of great things about being a freelance writer, but over the past three weeks I have been reminded, constantly, of what it is about this job that I love the most.

Before I explain, let me give you a little pictorial run-down of the 'work' I have been doing this month whilst travelling with my family.



Here's me researching an article on the exciting new things the Byron Bay Brewery is doing to build up its local brewing arm (775km from my home in Sydney)




...drawing creative inspiration for last week's blog post from Lake Cootharaba in south-east Queensland (1070km from home)






...researching again, this time for a travel feature on Tamworth in the New England North West region of NSW (400km from home)












So, the one thing I love the most about this job is the freedom it offers.

You don't need a conventional office (that's my current office from which I write this very post), you don't need to adhere to conventional work hours and you don't need to be available for face-to-meetings.

So long as you have internet or phone access to make calls and to send your stories down the line, you have all the tools you need.

In fact, when I was interviewed two weeks ago by ABC Western Queensland about an article I had written for ABC Health and Wellbeing, the audience would have had no idea I was sitting in my PJs (it was 8am after all) on my reclining camping chair at the time.

Now, I hear some of you baulking at the idea of taking work with you when you go on holiday, but being a freelancer is your ticket to getting off the tourist track, to getting 'inside' info and to meeting people who are usually too busy, or too important, to meet and greet members of the public.

On this short trip alone, my family and I were given free access to the 'Walk A Country Mile' interpretive exhibit by the kind folk at the Tamworth Visitor Information Centre; we had a private audience with Michelin chef Ben Davies at Tamworth's Monty's Restaurant; and we were treated to an unofficial private tour of the Byron Bay Brewery by the head brewer, Stefan Walker.

I enjoy my holidays - and chance meetings with interesting people - a lot more when I have my camera out, my notebook in my bag and my mind alert for anything that might make a good yarn.

For more information about Pamela Wilson or WriteSmart, log on to http://www.writesmart.com.au/