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Stuff I Am Not Planning
Posted by Dave on July 10th, 2007
I feel self-conscious every time I come across a new travel blog where the author makes it seem like he/she left home on a whim to backpack around the world. Ironically, when it comes time for me to shove off, I expect to update my About page in a similar fashion. It sells the fantasy, and helps to inspire (or make jealous), all those people who would love to quit their job and see the natural and man made wonders of the world.
Despite the wistful words, I’m sure it’s the rare person who does not begin to plan certain aspects of their trip well in advance. Personality, risk-tolerance, and goals are all factors which guide people.
I’ve found a comfortable middle ground between no planning at all (which would mean I’d never “just do it” and leave home) and over planning (and getting stressed out in the details). Over the past 6 months, I’ve shared all my plans, so now it is time to share stuff I am proudly not planning:
- Airfare, especially RTW tickets
- Visas (specifically to ensure I take care of any difficult ones in advance of departure)
- Refining my daily per diem, per country (which were initially researched a year ago)
- Learning a new language
- Researching and/or committing to a volunteer program
- Earning a TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) certificate
- Planning absolutely anything (beyond countries to visit) in Africa, Europe, South/Central/North America
If you’re currently planning a trip, what are you purposefully NOT planning in advance?
Dare Me to do something fun, weird, or challenging on the road!
Dave, I think you are going about your trip planning in a very responsible way.
First of all, as you kind of alluded to in your post, I think a lot of people that claim that one day they just decided to hop on a plane and leave it all behind, are definitely exaggerating at least a little.
Second, while travel is an amazing experience, you ARE leaving things and more importantly PEOPLE behind. In my opinion it’s important to prepare yourself, and them (family, friends, etc.) for that reality.
Last of all, traveling the world is an adventure, but things do sometimes go wrong during an adventure. I would never embark on a trip without having some idea as to where I was going, what to expect, and without any emergency cash to get my ass home if the shit hit the fan (as it sometimes does).
I don’t think you should feel self-conscious about being responsible.
Thanks Rob - and well said!