Many times we go into travels with an agenda of ALL THE THINGS we need to do with nearly minute by minute plans. IF your goal is to see the most things in the shortest amount of time, this is a great way to travel. But if you're looking for experiencing your destination and creating new memories, there's a better way to view and "plan" your trip.
Your starting point should be assessing your list of sites you want to see during your trip and assessing which ones are "non-negotiable". Which of these places are your must see places that you would return to your home disappointed that you didn't see them? Once you identify these places, you can either schedule those tours or plan which day of your trip you would like to see them. Keep the other sites as a list of "possible sites to see".
Having a "possible" list gives you the flexibility to do or not do things at your leisure. There have been many trips I've gone on where I never got to my possible list because I found other things to occupy my time. This may be stressful for you at first, especially if you're the kind of person that likes to plan out every minute of your day or have a list that you need to check off to feel like you've accomplished something.
To help out those of you that need plans and lists, maybe you should come up with a list something like this:
- Find a favorite local restaurant/cafe/coffee shop
- Find the perfect spot to have an impromptu Instagram photoshoot
- Discover a place not on your list by asking advice from a local
- Discover a place not on your list by asking advice from another tourist
- Try a new food
- Ask the hotel or hostel workers where they go or what they do for fun (not site-seeing)
- Explore the city by foot or public transportation
- Find a local hangout that is frequented mostly by locals
- Choose a random stop on public transportation to explore the surrounding area
- Make a new friend on public transportation
Now that we have the preparation stage figured out, it's time to consider the logistics of pulling it off. Think of your time on your trip as relaxing and fun instead of busy and tiring. With this approach, you can be flexible with everything you do. If it makes you feel at ease, you can plan out ways you can pull off visits to all your "possible" list - but don't feel a sense of NEEDING to follow it as planned. Planning accommodations can be difficult if you are flexible with your travels. Normally I will start my trip with a list of a few places to stay (in case one of them gets booked up) at each destination. The day prior to arriving at any destination is when I do the actual booking - and sometimes I don't even book at all and just play it by ear once arriving. The playing it by ear route isn't the life for everyone, but you can easily book one day out if you have access to a computer or a cell phone.
I've been on trips where I had stuff "figured out" but plans changed. For example, I wanted to go by train from one city to another and had assumed I would go on a certain day. This changed the day prior (while I was already in the departure city) when I went to purchase the train ticket and found there were none available. Instead of panicking that I needed to be somewhere by a certain day, I adjusted and rescheduled my travels for a different day and went out to adventure within the city I was already in. Sometimes I plan for one form of transportation but need to change to faster/slower forms of transport due to availability or cost. If I were married to a schedule, I wouldn't have been able to see these changes as opportunities to try new foods, see new places and make new friends - I would have just been stressed out and tired.
It's perfectly fine to have plans that don't pan out; whether because you or your travel partner just aren't feeling up to the proposed plan or your plans changed because you found something more interesting to do or because of sources outside your control. This doesn't make your trip less successful. It just gives you the opportunity to create memories in an unexpected way. Maybe you visit somewhere at the bottom of your "possible" list that you weren't expecting to do. Or maybe you go somewhere you've already been and do something out of the ordinary - play cards, blow bubbles, have an impromptu photoshoot, kick a soccer ball around with friends, etc. Possibly you just explore the area and randomly find the cutest little cafe on a small street you never would have noticed before. Perhaps you meet other tourists and they tell you about this amazing spot where you can see the most breathtaking sunsets. All plans that fall through just open the door for new adventures.
Traveling can be extremely tiring ESPECIALLY if you're trying to pack in a bunch of stuff into a short period of time. With time zone differences, travel weariness and needing to wind down from "real life", it's important to make time for yourself. You know yourself best, so you know what helps you relax. If you like shopping to relax, find a local market or mall that you can explore at. Sometimes getting pampered is the best feeling - find a spa or manicurist to spend a few hours at with no agenda other than to relax. Just want to sit down and breathe in fresh air? Find the perfect spot: a little known beach, a park with people watching potential, a place with live music or entertainers that you can watch in the open air or somewhere with breathtaking views and few people. There's no formula on how to relax and enjoy the moment - just do something that doesn't require extra effort and is relaxing to you. It's not time wasted, it's time ENJOYED.
The key to all of this is to make new memories NOT get the longest list of places visited or the most pictures taken. Packing every moment of your trip with activity mostly leaves your reflections of the trip as taking pictures of tourist attractions and constantly being on the move - observing the area. Leaving your schedule open and flexible makes it possible to experience the area. When you experience your trip you will naturally have more meaningful to you memories of your adventures. It also opens you to a world of opportunity to become more than just a tourist AND enjoy every moment of your day without wearing yourself out.
To all you travelers, both experienced and newbies, drop a comment telling about either something memorable you experienced by being flexible with your schedule OR your best bit of advice to create new memories while traveling.
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