Whenever I am getting ready to go on a trip, or even taking off on a day’s adventure, I am of two minds. One mind can spend hours perusing maps and routes. (I love maps!) However, I seldom make complete concrete plans or set exact dates (unless I have to). I don’t want what others have written to color my experience. The other mind wants to be totally open-ended with little research beforehand. This allows for in-the-moment choices and detours. Both concepts have their pros and cons.
Research beforehand lets me know what can be seen in a specific place. I’ll know ahead of time what’s open and when. That also means I might have to follow a stricter schedule.
But I enjoy being spontaneous and making those in-the-moment decisions. There are times when I plan on going to a particular place and, at the last minute, decide to keep driving. There’s not usually a specific reason. It’s that moment of choice, and it’s exciting that I can be free to do so. Then there are those times when a desk clerk at a hotel or someone I meet along the way will advise a visit to a certain spot and often these places are not something I knew about.
This leads to another aspect I like about spontaneity and also a reason to not plan everything ahead of time – being surprised. My trips are about discovery! It’s my chance to be an explorer. There’s an excitement to being on the road and not knowing what will come up. What will I find? How will the experience affect me personally? And yes, sometimes there are disappointments, but it’s still an experience.
So, before a trip, I like to get a brief general idea of what is in a particular area. I’ll do some quick research, but won’t spend a lot of time reading websites before I leave. I am out to make my own discoveries!
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