--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I realized that, for me, travel for work…" description: "\"I realized that, for me, travel for work - I'm not speaking so much about travel for pleasure - had actually become a way of avoiding life.\" — Laura va..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8ee/laura-van-den-berg-4314_avoiding_i-realized-that-for-me-travel-for-work-i_2037780.jpg" --- # I realized that, for me, travel for work - I'm not… ![“I realized that, for me, travel for work - I'm not speaking so much about travel for pleasure - had actually become a way of avoiding life.” quote by Laura van den Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8ee/laura-van-den-berg-4314_avoiding_i-realized-that-for-me-travel-for-work-i_2037780.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8ee/laura-van-den-berg-4314_avoiding_i-realized-that-for-me-travel-for-work-i_2037780.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8ee/laura-van-den-berg-4314_avoiding_i-realized-that-for-me-travel-for-work-i_2037780.jpg) > “I realized that, for me, travel for work - I'm not speaking so much about travel for pleasure - had actually become a way of avoiding life.” [Laura van den Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-van-den-berg/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Work travel can become an escape, avoiding genuine life experiences. **In simple terms:** Travel may hide real life. Key Takeaway Assess if travel serves growth or avoidance. Themes work-life balance travel avoidance self-awareness Mood contemplative cautious Type philosophical reflective When to use this quote - business trips - remote work - digital nomad lifestyle Key Concepts escape mechanisms career mobility personal growth Questions to Reflect On - What does travel teach you about yourself? - Are you using travel to flee or to grow? A Different Perspective Travel can also enrich perspective if intentional. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Avoiding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/avoiding/) [Avoiding life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/avoiding-life/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Realized Travel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/realized-travel-3776780/) [Travel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/travel/) [Travel Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/travel-work-1320130/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) [Way Avoiding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way-avoiding-1378563/) [Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work/) ## Related quotes > [Nine times out of ten, talking is a way of avoiding doing things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-c-wrede/nine-times-out-of-ten-talking-is-a-way-of-avoiding-doing-things/) [Patricia C. Wrede](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-c-wrede/) > [Guilt is only another way of avoiding informed action.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audre-lorde/guilt-is-only-another-way-of-avoiding-informed-action/) [Audre Lorde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audre-lorde/) > [You can't find peace by avoiding life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-can-t-find-peace-by-avoiding-life/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I think us gals need to stay in and just change the way it works, so men aren't being workaholics and avoiding life and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-cusack/i-think-us-gals-need-to-stay-in-and-just-change-the-way-it-works-so/) [Joan Cusack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-cusack/) > [I think that a lot of women get out of the business because it's so not family-friendly. And so women that could be in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-cusack/i-think-that-a-lot-of-women-get-out-of-the-business-because-it-s-so/) [Joan Cusack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-cusack/) > [“Avoiding problems you need to face is avoiding life you need to live”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/avoiding-problems-you-need-to-face-is-avoiding-life-you-need-to-live/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than exposure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-keller/avoiding-danger-is-no-safer-in-the-long-run-than-exposure/) [Helen Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-keller/) > [Avoiding problems you need to face is avoiding the life you need to live.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/avoiding-problems-you-need-to-face-is-avoiding-the-life-you-need-to/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [I'd chosen instead to just change my route, go miles out of the way, as if avoiding it would make it go away once…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/i-d-chosen-instead-to-just-change-my-route-go-miles-out-of-the-way-as/) [Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/) > [“There is a way of avoiding which resembles seeking.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/there-is-a-way-of-avoiding-which-resembles-seeking/) [Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/) > [Legalism is nothing but a leader's way of avoiding suffering.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-edwards/legalism-is-nothing-but-a-leader-s-way-of-avoiding-suffering/) [Gene Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-edwards/) > [“You cannot find peace by avoiding life, only by diving in and finding you can swim. Peace comes from conquering your fears, not running…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meena-van-praag/you-cannot-find-peace-by-avoiding-life-only-by-diving-in-and-finding/) [Meena van Praag](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meena-van-praag/) > [“As an adult, emerging from the ether's of an abusive childhood, i found myself left with a constant craving for protection, safety and security.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaeda-dewalt/as-an-adult-emerging-from-the-ether-s-of-an-abusive-childhood-i-found/) [Jaeda DeWalt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaeda-dewalt/) > [“Nothing. Nothing. Just … isn’t giving up allowed sometimes? Isn’t it okay to say, ‘This really hurts, so I’m going to stop trying’?” “It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainbow-rowell/nothing-nothing-just-isn-t-giving-up-allowed-sometimes-isn-t-it-okay/) [Rainbow Rowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainbow-rowell/) > [“It sets a dangerous precedent. For avoiding pain? For avoiding life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rowell-rainbow/it-sets-a-dangerous-precedent-for-avoiding-pain-for-avoiding-life/) [Rowell Rainbow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rowell-rainbow/) ## More by Laura van den Berg > [I was born and raised in Orlando, where the economy and culture has been powerfully shaped by tourism, and so I've long been interested…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-van-den-berg/i-was-born-and-raised-in-orlando-where-the-economy-and-culture-has/) [Laura van den Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-van-den-berg/) > [I lived in Boston for three years, and during that time, I wrote my first collection of stories, 'What the World Will Look Like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-van-den-berg/i-lived-in-boston-for-three-years-and-during-that-time-i-wrote-my/) [Laura van den Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-van-den-berg/) > [I take a pretty expansive view of craft, which is to say I don't see craft as just being technique - it's also process;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-van-den-berg/i-take-a-pretty-expansive-view-of-craft-which-is-to-say-i-don-t-see/) [Laura van den Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-van-den-berg/) > [To me, in general, something that's really rich in terms of identity about transit spaces is that they're so intimate. Especially thinking about long…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-van-den-berg/to-me-in-general-something-that-s-really-rich-in-terms-of-identity/) [Laura van den Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-van-den-berg/) > [To a certain degree, I think both self-narrativizing and selective memory are essential survival skills.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-van-den-berg/to-a-certain-degree-i-think-both-self-narrativizing-and-selective/) [Laura van den Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-van-den-berg/) > [There's the public self that we present to the outer world. There's the private self, which maybe takes more time to access. But ultimately,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-van-den-berg/there-s-the-public-self-that-we-present-to-the-outer-world-there-s/) [Laura van den Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-van-den-berg/) > [I think my concern is I know my voice, and I know the kinds of landscapes that interest me, so my primary concern is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-van-den-berg/i-think-my-concern-is-i-know-my-voice-and-i-know-the-kinds-of/) [Laura van den Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-van-den-berg/) > [My students are often asking me, 'What do you think are the most important qualities for a writer?' And one thing I always tells…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-van-den-berg/my-students-are-often-asking-me-what-do-you-think-are-the-most/) [Laura van den Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-van-den-berg/) > [As a reader, I appreciate a world that feels unsettled and also visceral, inhabitable, so that's a quality I try and bring to my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-van-den-berg/as-a-reader-i-appreciate-a-world-that-feels-unsettled-and-also/) [Laura van den Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-van-den-berg/) > [Youth is such a fascinating and volatile concoction of vulnerability, dependence, restlessness, relentlessness. You're still learning the terms of the world and of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-van-den-berg/youth-is-such-a-fascinating-and-volatile-concoction-of-vulnerability/) [Laura van den Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-van-den-berg/) > [As a genre, the best horror poses central human questions - Who can you trust? What is the cost of our secrets? What is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-van-den-berg/as-a-genre-the-best-horror-poses-central-human-questions-who-can-you/) [Laura van den Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-van-den-berg/) > [Paradoxically, the only thing that helps when I'm feeling despairing about writing is to write.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-van-den-berg/paradoxically-the-only-thing-that-helps-when-i-m-feeling-despairing/) [Laura van den Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-van-den-berg/) > [“Over time, we became less sure we were something the other wanted to hold on to.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-van-den-berg/over-time-we-became-less-sure-we-were-something-the-other-wanted-to/) [Laura van den Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-van-den-berg/) > [Ever since I started writing in college, I have, save for a few short breaks here and there, been working away on something. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-van-den-berg/ever-since-i-started-writing-in-college-i-have-save-for-a-few-short/) [Laura van den Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-van-den-berg/) > [I wager we have a vast amount of literature out there that tends to the stories of men, so I've never really worried too…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-van-den-berg/i-wager-we-have-a-vast-amount-of-literature-out-there-that-tends-to/) [Laura van den Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-van-den-berg/) [Explore all 113 Laura van den Berg quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-van-den-berg/) ## More Avoiding quotes > [Because after you've crossed some lines, you just keep crossing them. And there's no escaping from constant escape. Distracting ourselves. Avoiding confrontation. Getting past…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/because-after-you-ve-crossed-some-lines-you-just-keep-crossing-them/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [“Exactly. So, what can't you take? Decide which of the two options is harder, and do the other. That way, no matter how hard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josephine-angelini/exactly-so-what-can-t-you-take-decide-which-of-the-two-options-is/) [Josephine Angelini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josephine-angelini/) > [I've always been a very restless person. I work hard, spend too much time looking after my son, I dance like a mad thing,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/i-ve-always-been-a-very-restless-person-i-work-hard-spend-too-much/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [“What I'm trying to say is that I spent the last four months learning to be alone, avoiding the world, hating pretty much anyone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-cremer/what-i-m-trying-to-say-is-that-i-spent-the-last-four-months-learning/) [Andrea Cremer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-cremer/) > [ I can hardly believe what these 12 caricatures \[about Prophet Muhammad\] have caused in the world. We Danes feel like we have been placed… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anders-fogh-rasmussen/i-can-hardly-believe-what-these-12-caricatures-about-prophet-muhammad/) [Anders Fogh Rasmussen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anders-fogh-rasmussen/) > [I know a bit about taxation and the remarkable effort that goes in to avoiding it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-rinder/i-know-a-bit-about-taxation-and-the-remarkable-effort-that-goes-in-to/) [Robert Rinder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-rinder/) > [When you are in hard labor, remember that the length of labor is usually proportional to the number of people around. Avoid the presence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-odent/when-you-are-in-hard-labor-remember-that-the-length-of-labor-is/) [Michel Odent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-odent/) > [I don't believe in happy endings. Children have got to face death sooner or later. Granny and Grandpa die, dogs die, cats die, gerbils…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-briggs/i-don-t-believe-in-happy-endings-children-have-got-to-face-death/) [Raymond Briggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-briggs/) > [Resisting and avoiding pain sucks energy-and time. The more you let yourself feel those minute-and-a-half hells, the quicker you'll start feeling those minute-and-a-half happinesses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leigh-newman/resisting-and-avoiding-pain-sucks-energy-and-time-the-more-you-let/) [Leigh Newman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leigh-newman/) > [Reading is sometimes an ingenious device for avoiding thought.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-helps/reading-is-sometimes-an-ingenious-device-for-avoiding-thought/) [Arthur Helps](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-helps/) > [A day can really slip by when you're deliberately avoiding what you're supposed to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-watterson/a-day-can-really-slip-by-when-you-re-deliberately-avoiding-what-you/) [Bill Watterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-watterson/) > [When someone starts Ignoring you, just back off without staying there with them Just to know the reason for avoiding..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vishak/when-someone-starts-ignoring-you-just-back-off-without-staying-there/) [Vishak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vishak/) > [You know what takes effort? Being kind, being patient, being respectful, telling someone how you feel politely instead of just avoiding them for six…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jake-tapper/you-know-what-takes-effort-being-kind-being-patient-being-respectful/) [Jake Tapper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jake-tapper/) > [It's all about being flexible, and avoiding choices whenever possible. Choices suck, they are inherently limiting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-armstrong/it-s-all-about-being-flexible-and-avoiding-choices-whenever-possible/) [Craig Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-armstrong/) > [In my personal life I'm very conservative. I've been married to the same person for nearly 50 years, I'm scrupulous about paying bills, avoiding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-walken/in-my-personal-life-i-m-very-conservative-i-ve-been-married-to-the/) [Christopher Walken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-walken/) [Browse all 713 Avoiding quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/avoiding/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I realized that, for me, travel for work - I'm not speaking so much about travel for pleasure - had actually become a way of avoiding life.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Laura van den Berg" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-van-den-berg/i-realized-that-for-me-travel-for-work-i-m-not-speaking-so-much-about/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Avoiding" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-van-den-berg/i-realized-that-for-me-travel-for-work-i-m-not-speaking-so-much-about/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8ee/laura-van-den-berg-4314_avoiding_i-realized-that-for-me-travel-for-work-i_2037780.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8ee/laura-van-den-berg-4314_avoiding_i-realized-that-for-me-travel-for-work-i_2037780.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8ee/laura-van-den-berg-4314_avoiding_i-realized-that-for-me-travel-for-work-i_2037780.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I realized that, for me, travel for work - I'm not speaking so much about travel for pleasure - had actually…” — Laura van den Berg", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Laura van den Berg", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-van-den-berg/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I realized that, for me, travel...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-van-den-berg/i-realized-that-for-me-travel-for-work-i-m-not-speaking-so-much-about/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-van-den-berg/i-realized-that-for-me-travel-for-work-i-m-not-speaking-so-much-about/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```