I read this article not knowing that it was written by a friend from high school.
“Many travel books can help prepare you for an overseas trip, but this book-in sharing a simple and time-honored ethic-can teach you how to travel for the rest of your life. Some books, in offering encyclopedic (and often redundant) travel information, create the illusion that the best way to plan for an extended trip is to micromanage it. This book, in offering you only the advice you need to prepare for (and adapt to) the road,encourages you to enrich your travels with the vivid joys of uncertainty. And while some travel books become obsolete after one reading, this book will shed new perspectives and resonate in new ways as your travel career progresses.”
”Vagabonding” by Rolf Potts
free time
Sometimes, you need to go against the grain, break the chain that has turned your life into a monotonous cycle. With a typical job that has a block of time you need to be present on specific days it’s second nature to fall into a rhythm. Once this routine is created it becomes, at times, seemingly impossible to break.
I recommend setting aside a block of time per week (or whatever works for you) that is specifically your “free time.” It can’t be used for anything work related and it must take place outside of your home (too many familiar objects to pull you back into your routine). Spend the week coming up with things you’ve always wanted to do but never got around to and write them down. Don’t get too specific with details on your list. Write down general activities with a few tasks for each one you would like to accomplish. Then, when your free time rolls around, do it without hesitation. Even if it’s something that doesn’t seem very adventurous such as going for a bike ride or test driving your dream car, it’s still very important to prove to yourself that it is in fact your time. Soon, with hope, your free time will become a part of your routine.
Do you always follow the rules? Sneak a bottle of wine into a movie theater. Do you plan out everything before going on vacation? Get in your car and drive somewhere you’ve never been until you get lost. Doing something out of the ordinary can easily lead to other extempore adventures along the way.
Some of my favorite moments in life have been last minute adventures that needed no planning or packing. This left no expectations which made it easier to focus on fun and enjoyment rather than schedules and time management. Some were irresponsible, others simply ridiculous ideas, but the point is, sometimes spontaneity can be a very rewarding thing to act upon.
- Tyler
