I want to be a better traveler.
All stages of traveling (planning, packing, traveling, and unpacking) are exhausting for me. It isn’t until much later, when we’re reminiscing about the trip, that I can appreciate how much fun it was.
It’s hard work being crazy. I have packing lists that I print out for me and for the kids. I google the hotel’s address so I can see where we can eat. I plan our itinerary of the places we’ll visit. Then we leave before dawn so we can beat traffic.
In between all this planning, there’s also the worrying. What if something goes wrong? Can we leave the house for this long? Did I turn off the coffee maker? What did I forget?
Using my new minimalist ideas, I’m going to pack less and plan less. Will it be possible for me to go with the flow? Can I refrain from saying, “Hurry! We have to get there early before it gets too crowded”?
I’d like to visit some states on Elena’s Bucket List and make the stops memorable. I’ll try not to keep checking my watch. I will make an effort to live in the moment.
Instead of trying to “make good time” TO our destination, I’ll try to “have a good time” AT our destination.
Any travel tips for me? Share with me some ideas on how you travel with your family or pets.
Definitely make the effort to relax a bit more. What’s the point of creating stress and tension on vacation. Have a great trip!
Thank you 🙂
I think I need to adopt some of your craziness. I am a “in the moment traveler”. It isn’t until I uploaded pictures that I think of all things I could have experienced if only if I planned better. 🙂
Hi Kim, there’s gotta be a planning level somewhere before crazy… Our best adventures were not even on my itineraries…they just sort of happened. I guess we’ll just have to do more traveling until we can get it right 😉
Practice makes perfect!
I think it’s good to plan a lot in advance – read the guidebooks, make checklists (for the sights, and for home things like the coffeemaker!), make notes, maybe find audio guides or apps, figure out what kind of things you’ll be doing so you can plan your wardrobe. And then, go on your trip and let it go, go with the flow! As you said, the best adventures happen when you’re not expecting it. So pack as light as possible so you can be flexible, figure out what makes you happy (some people need to plan the meals because hungry=cranky, other people want to get to the sights early when it’s not crowded and then meander, some people don’t even care about the “must-sees”) and then take a deep breath and look around and enjoy yourself. I think some people only plan half of each day, so they can check things off their lists and still have time to relax, discover and play.