A usual vacation takes long hours of research, thorough planning, elaborate packing, and everything taken care of long before you set out. Sometimes you end up spending more time in planning the vacation than you do actually vacationing.
I say that planning is boring! And makes me yawn!
I am one of those millennial travellers who have chosen the other way to travel. We all have done it once in our lives, even if for a small duration. The best way of travelling has no name to it. I am talking about impromptu travel—the style of travel that is whimsical, spontaneous and crazy in every sense.
What is impromptu travel?
Impromptu travelling is all about having things unplanned. Let's say you decide right at this moment that you will go to the airport or a bus station or a railway station and buy a ticket to whichever place that brings a spark to your eyes. You may venture out on that journey, but not even reach the destination sometimes.
It might happen that mid-way you witness a gorgeous spot, and decide that this is where you would love to vacay. You don't have any hotel bookings, you don't have any recommendations, and the best part, you have no idea what you re going to experience, who you are going to meet or what you are going to do.
And these moments of oblivion and ambiguity bring out the best of travel. You find yourself in completely new environments, do things that you had never done before, meet people who are very different from you, and learn things you had no knowledge of that they existed.
Example: Last month, I went to ISBT Kashmere Gate in Delhi; checked out all the buses, and sat in a bus with empty seat. The HRTC bus took me straight to Hamirpur. Having reached there, I found flower seeds being sold. I purchased a few packets of them. The hotel next to it didn't have vacancy, so I walked to another one which had. The next two days I spent walking around the villages, meeting locals, getting invited by them over to their place for tea and home-made delicacies, learning about the local crops and indigenous deities. The trip ended with me plucking mulberries with the kids on a sidewalk.
This is only of the impromptu trips that I have taken. There are many more to the list, each with its own unique experience.
What to expect?
Impromptu travel isn't easy. It is not meant for the easily-scared and the paranoid. Multiple challenges can be thrown at you without any warning such as rains, no-vacancy, lack of entertaining things, cashless ATMs, and the most important thing, a bad mood to deal with it. Your only weapon is the readiness to accept and enjoy anything and everything that is thrown at you. But the good part being that help is always around the corner.
What not to expect?
If you are lucky, you may find comfort and luxury, but it is something that you should not expect. However, one of the things that you can't have is an inactive slumbering mind. You will always have to be on your feet.
How to go about it?
1. Pack all essentials
Anything that you may need, but remember no over-packing.
2. Be Healthy
Get on the road only when you are in good health – physically and mentally.
3. Be cautious
Fun can sometimes be dangerous. Do not get into life threatening situations because of a thing as small as eating wild berries.
4. Trust your instincts
You may have no logical reason for doing or not doing a particular thing, but do not ignore your intuition, it is your best friend in blind situations.
5. Leave a trail
Keep your family and friends informed about your whereabouts. It can be as simple as making Instagram stories of your journey.
6. Safe destinations
Avoid the daredevilry of travelling to places with tension and conflict or which are known to be notorious.
Impromptu travelling is definitely not for everyone, but if you have an adventurous streak in you, it is worth a try. And I am sure, it will become a lifestyle once it grows on you.
Do you travel without a plan too? Share your stories with us here!
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