UNPLAN YOUR VACATION

Too much ground work can take away from the joy of travel. Here's why travelling without an itinerary isn't that bad an idea...

Letting the day unfold random ly can lead to exciting and un planned adventures,“ says top travel blogger Nomadic Matt in one of his posts. Matt is a last-minute planner who rarely travels with any set itinerary. While there is a deluge of the most up-to-the-minute travel apps to help you concoct that perfect getaway, there are still people who'd rather go with impulse and gumption when thinking of their next trip.

THERE'S NO RUSH

“I was once headed towards Ladakh by road. It was a completely unplanned trip, with just the destination in mind.The choice of stopovers was completely up to me. I pulled up impulsively at a picturesque site to capture some images and was suddenly greeted by a group of local children handing me a bunch of freshly plucked peas! We didn't have a common language to communicate but what we shared there, at that moment, was unforgettable,“ shares Ajay Jain, founder of a Delhibased travel café. With an increased thrust on `scripting' holidays, it is fascinating to note that some like Jain choose to take it slow and simply go with the flow.

Too much planning can actually cause stress. When you're locked into certain dates and itineraries, there's no turning back. It doesn't matter if you hear about an interesting flea mart or an opera, you're stuck with your plans unless you don't mind forfeiting the money or reschedule the bookings.

“In travel, less is more. Spending more time in one place allows you to be in step with the rhythm of life. It enables you to visit places at a more relaxed pace, see more than just the highlights, and open up your schedule to the happy accidents of travel. Slowing down can make a huge difference,“ says Matt.

HUMAN CONNECT

Yes, the internet is all-encompassing and will most likely crack all your misgivings about travel, but it's always more fun to go with first-hand, personal endorsements. By not booking accommodation and tours in advance, one has the freedom to show up at a place and ask other travellers, locals and hostel owners what is worthwhile to do in that area. It might not be a comfortable idea to put your trust in complete strangers but eventually you realise that, perhaps, 99 per cent of people on this planet are actually nice and trustworthy.

Travel blogger Siddhartha Joshi orients his internet usage to build bonds with his surroundings while he trav els. “While in Tamil Nadu recently, I was travelling to Trichy and instead of googling about it, I tweeted asking people in my network to help me connect with the locals there. Surprisingly, I got timely replies and ended up staying with the locals. Every day from then on was a new adventure, an element of surprise in store. It's not f always going to be as easy, but it sure will teach you to challenge yourself,“ he said.

EXPLORE YOUR LAND

Foreign travel might not always figure on your wishlist when planning last minute. That makes unplanned trav el ideal to explore your own country ¬ which is changing far more rapidly than you can fathom. A part of Prakhar Joshi's decision to take up his current job as the South Asia coordi nator of an international history proj ect was influenced by the require ment to set off on impromptu trips; and he now believes that this has helped him to truly understand India better. “During my visits to Jammu for work, I chose to live with locals in disputed areas and learned that there is so much more to our country than what is documented. India is an incredible country, and you can get a full perspective and understanding of this land by getting out and seeing it yourself. You'll realise that people are willing to alter their entire routines for you; all you have to do is ask,“ he says.

SOMETHING NEW...

The surprise element gets sacrificed in a scripted trip where you've already carefully scanned the hotel rooms and cultural sites online. An unplanned vacation, on the other hand, leaves a whole lot to imagination and chance. You never know what you'll come across. At the same time, you discover hidden gems that don't easily figure on the touristy circuit. Travel blogger Prasad NP has never had second thoughts about jumping on random buses and trains to a completely unknown destination and try ing to help bring the location to the fore. “The idea is to go to places with less commercial development, and docua ment about them to the world to generate employ ment opportunities for the locals living there,“ says Prasad. “Doing this gave me more pleasure than monetary com pensation. I grew as a person, felt I could change things myself, and gained fresh perspectives on every thing under the sun.“

WORD OF CAUTION

While being adventurous comes natu rally to some travellers, stepping into unknown pastures can go awry for the novice. Co-founder of a local travel start-up Sukhmani Singh cautions, “One should always be sensible with their choices when a trip is unplanned.

If you keep your head in the right place and connect with the right people, you'll bring back a lot.“ But that does n't mean you trust anyone and every one at the drop of a hat..............by Alshaar khan

Source : Media