I’m a planner, its what I do. I have never just “gone with the flow” and assumed “it would l all work out.” I’m the girl insisted she was going on a fun no-plan cross country road trip, just to have it turn into a 2 week planned route accounting for drive times with a hotel reserved at each stop.
I’ve always envied those people who can go on vacation with no plan. Who head out with just a plane ticket and a sense of adventure. I imagine they are always open to a new opportunity because they don’t have a pre-purchased train ticket, a set tour scheduled, or a hotel reservation waiting for them. A friend of mine recently set out to travel the world with nothing more than two plane tickets and a plan to do nothing more than live as a local. I have always want to be like that, but every attempt at it I’ve failed miserably.
So imagine my surprise when I looked up from my mountain of personal and professional work and found I was two weeks from the start of my trip and had no plans. I had the flights, an apartment, and an email out to a travel agent about a trip to the glaciers. Then my agent emailed me back and kindly but curtly let me know they work on bigger trip and I was better off finding someone local to plan our small glacier side trip.
I had to let that sink in. I had an upcoming trip and no plans. No side trip, no itinerary, no place we had to be between the day we land and the day we return. Could this be it, could this be my growing opportunity?
I have this apartment and plane tickets, that’s it. How’d that happen?*
Believe it or not I’ve been working hard since then to NOT make plans. I’ve resisted emailing the owner of the apartment to ask for suggestions. I’ve avoided reading the Lonely Planet. It hasn’t been easy. The planner in me wants to take over. She wrings her hands every time someone asks what we plan to do in Argentina. She’s gone overboard in planning the New Jersey schedule, and thinking about every detail such as what to pack and what stroller to bring. But I’ve managed to suppress her and resist the temptation so far.
So can I really do it? Work kept me busy until the end but I now face 11 days in California and New Jersey before we leave for Argentina. Can I resist the temptation for 11 days? Only time will tell…
* Photo cursory of the owner. You can view more photos on their Facebook Page
You can do it!
I mean, there are definitely pros and cons. I would never deny someone the right to make detailed travel plans (although we would have to have a serious talk if they wanted me to follow them – I actually really love planning when I’m in the mood, but I do hate to follow them).
One of the biggest things we love to do in new places is just wander around. It’s always interesting and little forward-thinking is required. You could always make that your “plan”. 😉
Nothing wrong with doing a bit of both. Just makes sure there are some unscheduled moments, so that you can hone in on what you really like about a place after you get there. Try to make this trip about being in the moment rather than ticking ‘to do’ items off a checklist. We do enough of that in our day-to-day lives. Enjoy, royally. So excited to read about your adventures.