In favor of the surprise

We all plan our trips—some might even say it’s almost as fun as the trip itself. But the more you travel, the more you know that planning for everything is a bit futile. And dare I say—you might even enjoy something in the change of plans.

I was reminded of it by two things in the past few days:

A friend stopped in town on a round-the-world trip last week. Only a few weeks into her year-long journey and already she had several itinerary changes under her belt—because of bad weather, and because she just plain changed her mind. Luckily the dates on her ticket were flexible enough for her to move as the wind blows.

Then a passage popped out from a book that I’ve been reading—“The Size of the World” by Jeff Greenwald. You can imagine during nine months-worth of plans while circling the world (taking car, ferry, train, bus, ship—everything except a plane) he’d face some surprises. And you’d be right.

After Jeff loses his laptop, his travel companion, and the chance at reaching a dream destination, he muses:

“A strangely liberating thought occurred to me: Maybe those three incidents were related, after all. Each of those three attachments had conjured an illusion of predictability; each had generated desires that were painful and difficult to renounce. All three had become, ultimately, impediments to my self-sufficiency. Now the pilgrimage begins.”

Fun at the time? No. Ultimately enlightening? Quite possibly. If you don’t lose your mind in the process, the best things you could possibly lose while traveling are predictability and attachments. A certain freedom is restored, and so is your intuition. What makes the letting go any easier? I’d suggest flexibility and perspective, but if you have the magic answer you’ll have to let me know.

And then there’s the obvious upside of change and unmet expecations: when did you ever think that you’d meet that wise fellow traveler or join that traditional ceremony? Stop, reconsider, and go ahead—let those well-honed plans fall by the wayside once in a while.