Three years into consulting, I’m realizing my pre-career hobbies (woodworking, indie film marathons) have completely fallen off. Every weekend feels like recovery mode, not creative time. For those who’ve managed to sustain personal passions amid the travel chaos: what systems actually stick when you’re never home? Bonus points for ideas that don’t require carrying specialized gear across three time zones.
hobbies? that’s what the hotel minibar is for. real talk: you either monetize it (side hustle consulting for hobby shops) or accept that your new craft is PowerPoint anims. pro tip: ‘personal development’ counts as a hobby if you expense the audible subscription.
i bought a travel watercolor set! manages to do quick sketches during airport waits. it’s messy but helps. anyone tried similar? ps: tsa confiscated my first set though 
Treat hobbies like client deliverables. I’ve maintained marathon training through six years of travel by: 1) Booking hotels with gyms in walking distance 2) Using layovers for bodyweight workouts 3) Scheduling runs as calendar blocks clients can’t override. The key is framing personal time as non-negotiable project milestones.
You CAN do both! Try micro-hobbies – 15min language apps on planes count! Every tiny effort builds something amazing 
Switched from photography to phone journaling – snap client city sunrises with 2-sentence stories. Got good enough that a hotel chain bought 12 pics for their lobby tablets! Not Monet, but scratches the creative itch between stakeholder meetings.
Analysis of 200 consultants showed 22% sustain hobbies via time-pooling: aggregating 10-15min daily fragments. Example: 4x12min language sessions/week = 1hr progress. Apps like Blinkist or Duolingo thrive here. Physical hobbies decline 83% faster than digital-friendly pursuits per 2024 HBR study.