4 TIPS FOR PLANNING A SPONTANEOUS TRIP (AND YES, YOU CAN PLAN AHEAD!)
Updated: Feb 12
Are you a freelancer or someone with an unpredictable work schedule where time off arises unexpectedly?
Have you ever found yourself with unplanned time off and wished you could have prepared ahead to make better use of your time than staying home? As a freelancer, I have an irregular work schedule, making it difficult to plan ahead, without sacrificing potential job opportunities. My contracts might last a week, a month, or many months and then end abruptly with little to no notice. There were numerous times when my contract job would unexpectedly terminate, leaving me with free time but nothing set to do. I would get frustrated by my inability to go somewhere when I had the time to do so.
Fast forward to when I made the epiphany that I can plan ahead. Despite being counter-intuitive, planning to do spontaneous travel is possible! And I will teach you how. So the next time you have time off, you are prepared to go somewhere and won’t waste your precious time off sitting home.
1: HAVE A CARRY-ON BAG OF ESSENTIALS PACKED TO GO
I always keep a carry-on size travel bag packed in my closet that contains the essentials I might need for a trip. In it I have:
Toiletries Bag: packed with TSA size-approved shampoo, conditioner, body wash, face wash, travel-size deodorant, perfume, a comb, a brush, toothbrush, toothpaste, argan oil, hair ties, night and day face cream, eye cream, a manicure set with mini scissors, and a shower cap
Beauty Items: my travel make-up and brushes, dual-voltage curling iron, and heatless curler set
Airplane Bag: packed with my compression socks, earplugs, the old school earbuds that plug into the plane, and a sleep mask so I can quickly get to sleep on a plane or in a car and maximize my awake time away.
Wallet: packed with an extra credit card for emergencies, at least $500 cash, and my Global Entry card.
Comfort Items: my neck pillow and a big pashmina scarf for when I'm cold
Tech: phone wall charger and cable, 2 European type C adapters (since these are the most prevalent plug type used abroad), and a portable battery pack to charge my phone
Travel Snacks: protein bars or individual bags of non-peanut nuts
Passport
This way, if I want to leave, I’m not wasting time searching for this stuff but know it is already set to go in my bag.
For tips on how to shop for an easily packable wardrobe, click here.
2: MAKE A LIST OF DESTINATIONS BASED ON DURATION
What is near me? Where can I go for just a few days (perhaps a 3 day weekend?) Where might I go if I have a week? Two weeks or more? It might seem obvious, but if you are not used to taking off on a moment’s notice, prior research is key to preventing wasted time from decision indecision and too many choices. If you already are mentally prepared with where you can go, you can immediately pick the best one based on your current circumstances and take action to get there, without losing time or having anxiety that you might be making a poor decision.
Depending on where you are in the world, there can be many options between local road trips and quick flights! For example, if I am staying near Miami, I wouldn’t be able to road trip to anywhere outside of Florida because the driving time is too many hours for a short trip. However, I can reach the west coast of Florida, Orlando, the National Parks south of Miami, and by plane, there are many islands in the Caribbean, Mexico, and even the northern part of South America that can be easily reached in a few hours.
3: DO SOME RESEARCH
Once you have your list of destinations, the next step is to do research and learn some basic information about the places you might visit. Some of the questions I ask myself are:
How much time do I need for an ideal trip?
What areas would I want to stay in?
What kinds of activities or sightseeing is available?
What is the weather like during different times of the year?
What kind of clothing is needed?
What are the expected costs?
What kind of electrical outlets do they use?
What is the currency exchange rate?
Having done some research ahead of time will set you up for a successful trip because you already know what to expect. The last thing you want to do when you have time for a quick trip is to waste time figuring all this out. The worst scenario is visiting a place and missing out on activities you would have liked to do but couldn't because you were unprepared.
Get organized and keep your notes in an easily accessible location. This ensures all your information is readily accessible when you find out you are free. By having a few pre-researched destinations in mind, you'll be ready to pull the trigger for that day off!
4: MAKE SKYSCANNER / GOOGLE FLIGHTS YOUR NEW FAVORITE PAST TIME
Skyscanner and Google Flights are similar to other flight search engines, in that they are travel sites that search all the different major airlines for rates. But what makes Skyscanner / Google Flights such great resources is two-fold: first, they also search budget airlines that don't come up on all the search engines; and second, they have a feature to search for a country, region, or everywhere. You can perform these searches to quickly and easily see which destinations are the least expensive to travel to RIGHT NOW. No planning ahead required.
One of my favorite things to do is to utilize this feature and frequently check airfare. So, I've become familiar with which places are going to be easy to travel to if I was to get time off. By frequently checking Skyscanner, I can get a sense of potential travel destinations if I suddenly have a day or two off. This approach not only aids in planning trips to places I'm interested in, but also introduces me to destinations I might not have considered before. Years ago, the first time I went to Colombia, it was because I checked Skyscanner and saw there were $75USD flights direct from Miami. I had not actually considered Colombia as a travel destination previously, but because it was so inexpensive, I bought a ticket and hopped on a plane to go!
By applying these tips, you'll be prepared for an impromptu trip whenever you next have some free time. You can be excited to know you might not know now where in the world your journey will take you, but it will take you somewhere. You might even discover a new place that you fall in love with, or have an adventure that changes your life. Wishing you happy travels!
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