I worry too much. I worry that we will not have plans in place when we get to a new place. I worry that I will not be willing to let go and just enjoy the experiences that are in front of us. These thoughts consume me 725 days before we leave on our trip and now I worry that I am thinking too much. As I said, I worry too much.
The truth is that I really do not know yet the level we should be planning for this trip. When you start thinking about a year long trip it can overwhelm you. The feeling is wonderful, scary, and at times – all consuming. Should we book a month in Buens Ares? If we decide to stay another week, will that ruin our plans in South Africa? Frankly, I cannot decide how much planning we should do versus just “wing it”. The problem is, I have yet to determine how comfortable I will be in 2 years with spontaneity.
So, I will spend the next 2 years planning with the expectation that I can be more spontaneous when 9/1/2010 arrives.
About Warren
My recommendation is that you plan the route that you want to take, put together a tentative schedule, and then divide your stops into Must Sees and Wanna Sees. The schedule should be loose; don’t try to cram too much in. The thing is, you don’t have to stick to your schedule, but you should have an idea where you are going next.
If you really like a place — or need a few days to rest — you can stay longer. You can even add a stop if you run into somebody that suggests that you see something that you didn’t plan for. That’s the best part of travel for me: the stuff you see and do that you didn’t plan to see and do. And, if you find yourselves running behind schedule, then you can skip a few Wanna Sees and still get all of your Must Sees in.
The Schedule and how you choose to amend it are also potentials for argument between you, but if you go with a spirit of compromise, you should be fine.
The "spirit of compromise" – I like that!