Plan On Letting Go Of Plans

Plan On Letting Go Of Plans

- Beth Puliti

“ HOW DID YOU PLAN YOUR ROUTE?”

Anyone asking this questions is likely looking for an answer along the lines of my favorite mapping app. Yet, my usual response is, “I sort of didn’t.”

While there are advantages to planning out a trip turn by turn, there are just as many benefits, if not more, to letting circumstance plan a bit of it for you.

Yes, during our two-year exploration of Europe and Asia I had an idea of which countries I wanted to visit and which areas within those countries I wanted to explore in depth, but what road to take and what day I’d get there was never set in stone. More so than other travelers I met along the way, my route was fluid—shaped by curiosity, by current events, by terrain, by the weather and, above all, by local input.

GO WITH THE FLOW

Even the best laid plans are subject to change. Sometimes the landscape, climate or a run-in with a cyclist coming from the direction you’re headed will dictate your route for you.

I didn’t know what to expect when I touched down in Kathmandu, Nepal, with my bike. I found that being in such close proximity to the Himalayas was too tempting and felt the call to explore them by foot just like Edmund Hillary. I bought a pair of kicks, stashed my bike for two weeks and hiked to Everest base camp.