Comments on: Traveling Without a Plan

By: NomadicMatt

NomadicMatt — Fri, 08 Oct 2010 22:06:44 +0000

I like to travel with a semi-plan. That way I have a general idea of what I’m doing but am still flexible to making changes.

By: Liz

Liz — Fri, 08 Oct 2010 12:09:39 +0000

Ha! I NEVER have a plan, which is an insane way to travel. If I had it in me, I would begin to plot and plan the way I see others do it. I’m so jealous of them- I feel like they can see into the future! Basically, when I lived in Italy, I would book a flight on Wednesday, fly out Thursday morning (returning Monday morning for school), and pack literally 5 minutes before I had to leave for the airport. When I went to the Middle East for 6 months, I booked my ticket 3 weeks ahead of time and planned nothing. Also, I’ve missed about 10 flights this year, as it’s nearly impossible for me to go home when I say I will. On Memorial Day weekend I impulsively took a 6 hour bus to NYC instead of flying home from Maine… completely forgetting that no rooms are available in New York on long holidays. Luckily, the couple in front of me on the bus offered me a room in their home in Brooklyn!
So, do I recommend traveling this way? No, not really. It’s extremely stressful and expensive. Plus, you miss out on things that you would have known about had you researched and planned ahead of time. My advice? Plan and prepare as much as possible- just don’t worry about sticking to your itinerary. If the trip isn’t flowing, you have something to fall back on and you’ll be educated enough to make a decision about whether or not you want to deal with certain roadblocks.

By: Michael Tyson

Michael Tyson — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 13:41:47 +0000

Well put! I really don’t have anything to add to this other than to say that if anyone ever tells me they’re planning to travel I will immediately send them to this article.

By: Aaron

Aaron — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 04:03:55 +0000

I learned the hard way that a strict itinerary doesn’t work too well, as my first time out I planned every single day of 10 days in Laos. But mother nature had other plans and the monsoons threw my schedule way off base. Fortunately, it didn’t really matter and ever since, I’ve traveled with a basic outline of what I’d like to do. And the beauty is, that outline is in a constant state of flux!

I recently spent 3 months in Asia and during that time I exended my return ticket twice and must have redone my outline about 5 times! Talking to other travelers I met along the way gave me inspiration to go places I hadn’t even considered and some of those last minute changes ended being the best experiences of my travels!

For me, this is definitely the way to go! Unless I was heading to a big city, I never booked accommodation in advance and would usually buy my bus tickets the day of (of course, this is the norm in many parts of Asia). And you know what? Things always worked out. There were never any nervous moments where I feared what I would do!

By: Katie

Katie — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 01:54:45 +0000

I am a major planner, but at the same time the longest I’ve been able to travel at this point is 2 weeks at a time. I prefer not to spend my valuable vacation time trying to sort out where I’m going to stay or figuring out what to do. It just seems easier and more efficient to have it figured out ahead of time.

That being said, I am hoping to do a RTW trip soon. I’ve “planned” where I want to go and what I want to see, mainly for budget purposes so I could figure out how much money I need to have saved up. I’m planning to hit several countries that require visas in advance, some with letters of invitation, so that will limit my flexbility to some extent. But I imagine with a longer period of travel time I’ll be more spontaneous than on my shorter trips.

By: Transfer Smart

Transfer Smart — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 21:59:08 +0000

If you’re looking for a real adventure, this could be the way. However, I’ll still recommend a nicely plan travel if you’re new to a certain location.

By: Toni

Toni — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 12:11:17 +0000

It seems that I’ll be bucking the trend then. Next year I plan to travel solo from Japan to Bali. It will be my first big adventure and the only thing I’m booking is my flight out to Japan and my return from Bali – everything else is up for grabs though I have a general itinerary I’d like to keep to. I figured that my worst nightmare would be to meet people who invite to a place only for me to have to turn them down ‘because I have a flight to catch’ when really there is no need for me to go at all. Glad to hear that I’ll be donig the ‘right thing’.

By: Timeshare Relief

Timeshare Relief — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 22:49:43 +0000

Traveling without a tight plan seems to be an adventurous and fun experience. But also beware of the disadvantages might in the middle of your trip.

By: paul coey-archer

paul coey-archer — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 18:10:46 +0000

this kind of traveling would not suite me, not knowing even where your staying just would’nt do.

By: Linda G

Linda G — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 23:40:27 +0000

I’m thinking you don’t send out ‘newsletters’. If you do … please put my email on your list.
I have just discovered you.
Thanks,
Linda