‘If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail.’ It might be right for most of the things that we do under the sun. Whether it’s the long-term plans or the short-term ones that we set in our life, having a well laid-out plan is always a good idea. It allows you to move through each step smoothly and accomplish things on-time. But did you know that planning can sometimes be taken out of the frontlines and doing so would lead to even better results?
That is if you’re a traveler who’s seeking for a thrilling and unique adventure. Something that no one else has already experienced. Traveling without a plan can sound scary for some. Just imagine leaving home and going to an alien place without knowing where to go or how much to spend. Now that’s just some wild imagination most would have when hearing about the idea. Traveling without a plan can turn into a fun and unforgettable experience. It can even lead to significant changes in your life. But how? The answers are what we’re going to learn in this article.
A Real Life Experience from a Friend
A good friend of mine who’ is also one of my biggest influences and inspiration why I do travel a lot has had several unique experiences in most of his travels. And that is because he does go on most of his travels without a plan. In one of our conversations, I asked him why he prefers to do this quite ‘scary’ thing, and these are the reasons he told me in reply.
1. Traveling with a Plan Can be Boring
If you’ve been traveling a lot and have been to many different places, you might have gone through most of it sticking on a strict itinerary. Having everything planned out is a good thing. That is what travel agencies would often say, but if you come to think of it, this idea can be boring. Most of us travel or go on vacation so we can break from the shackles of work and all the daily routines that we willingly tethered ourselves into as we grow into adulthood.
We travel to relax and be free! If we do it while following a strict plan, then the idea of freedom and relaxation are automatically taken out of the picture.
2. Traveling Without a Plan Gives You Flexibility
A journey that is not tied to a plan gives one the flexibility to do more and experience more. Since there are no advanced bookings to catch and you’re not racing against time, you can quickly switch to other places or do other activities and you will even be open to even better things that can come along. Let each day unfold while you’re going with the flow. It’s the best recipe for a memorable adventure, something that’s filled with tons of excitement in unplanned trips and activities.
3. When Travelling, Less is More
In most of my travels, I had many unique experiences some memorable enough to last a lifetime. There was a time when I had to change my plan, met a friend and ended up spending a month on an island in Thailand doing things I enjoyed. On a separate travel, I had the chance to meet a girl in Cambodia, spent a few more days, and we eventually ended up dating and traveling together for five months.
I would’ve not experienced such if my travels depended on a stringent plan with itineraries set in advance. When you’re into traveling, remember that less is more. Spending more time in a particular place would mean that you’ll visit fewer sites but it will help you get a better feel and appreciate life even more. It opens the door for more relaxing travel experiences seeing more than just attractions. Traveling without a plan allows you to prepare for the accidents that can happen along the way with more fun and appreciation and less stress.
4. Traveling Without a Plan Allows You to Go With the Flow
Whenever I go on travel, I have one thing in mind. Yes! That’s how simple my travel plan is. I keep in mind the city or country that I want to visit then I move forward smoothly in a continuous route. It is crucial to avoid visiting the same place twice. I go with the flow, and it keeps me save on transportation cost while enjoying the whole experience.
Just remember that there are unexpected things that can happen. You can lose your camera or get minor injuries along the way. In other instances, you’ll find yourself traveling with people you just met to a new place. Flexibility is needed in these situations and obviously, visiting on a strict plan wouldn’t give you the flexibility that’s necessary to overcome such.
So How Exactly Should You Plan Your Travel?
With all those reasons mentioned, here is my take when it comes to creating a plan for your next travel. Again, the key is to make it realistic and straightforward. And here are some points that I hope would help you create a simple travel plan, it would feel like you don’t have any plan at all:
Step 1: Put in as much detail as you want on your next dream trip. Over-Planning helps a lot at this early stage.
Step 2: After listing down all the details, cut half of it down and stick with this new list.
Step 3: Do even more elimination of the details until you have at least three to five things that you want to do in every destination that’s left on your list.
Step 4: Take the list with you and forget all the other things you’ve listed down. Focus on making memories and do the things that you really want on every location you visit. Go with the flow and let serendipity do the rest of the job for you.
Keep it Simple and Flexible!
Again, planning doesn’t always lead to good things. When it comes to traveling, you just need to know where you are going and cut all the other details down to the simplest most practical activities that you can do. This would give you the flexibility to deal with changes on the way and that for me is the best travel plan!