To plan or not to plan, that is the question. Some people like to plan, others’ moto is no plan = spontaneity & adventure.
A plan is synonymous with soulless structure and painful rigidity, and lack of spontaneity & adventure. But, it does not have to be that way!
How about this – plan for the most important parts, but make it loose enough for spontaneity and change of plans.
Everyone has different circumstances – a short-term tourist, nomad or expat working, or planning to retire in SEA. All of these will have a different set of circumstances to consider and plan for.
Planning Is Art
Planning = art. Planning is an artform – it’s your compass on this wild journey. You mold it and interact with throughout your adventure.
Having a well laid-out map to see ahead ensures an adventure of a lifetime. Don’t miss out. Don’t overlook the import stuff – take care of the boring details now so that you don’t have to worry about them during your trip.
Knowledge is power. In the process of planning & research, you will uncover gems – that’s a bonus. Countless times we have said, “Oh, I’m really glad that I found that out before going there!”.
It is completely up to you. Plan as little or as much as you feel is best for you 🙂
Philosophy Of Planning
Q: Which of the below are you? Maybe somewhere in between?
No plan : Travel to find myself, letting the journey be in control and I am just along for the ride. Whatever happens, happens. There are things I want to see and do, but if the schedule or weather does not allow for it, then oh well. And, I am more interested in meeting people along the way. It’s about who you are with, not what you are doing. Anything we do/go/see is fun – no need to find the gems, the gems will find us (I hope).
Plan : I know exactly what I want and need (perhaps, a space to work or cook while nomading). I choose to be on top of my plan, controlling the journey (at least, to some extend), so that I successfully achieve the important things that enable me to nomad/expat/retire abroad.
PROs of Planning & Research
Embrace the PROs of planning – become a PRO planner.
PROs: general
As a matter of fact, creating a solid plan can help you:
> Find the best deals.
> Not waste hours of time.
> Stumble across gems that you would not have otherwise come across.
> Help you save money so that you can use that money for other things like eating a nicer meal or extending your trip.
PROs: detailed
Best of all worlds : You can create a plan that gets you the best of all worlds, striking that personalized balance between structure and spontaneity.
Tailored for YOU by you : It’s an art form – you can make it as specific of as general as you wish. It’s all up to you.
What’s most important : It helps you understand what is most important to you.
What’s possible : A plan helps you realize what is possible or not (maybe you are trying to do too much). Maybe via your research, you uncover that a place is closed, the day/hours it is open, or gain insight from reviews with important information.
Less stress : Planning can be less stressful compared to not having a plan. It is hard work, but avoiding it makes work even harder! If you are house-hunting, for example, taking a passive approach will cause more headache/cost/effort/and time compared doing the research and planning ahead of time.
Expect the unexpected [bad stuff] : R&P (research and planning) will uncover the bad stuff that you otherwise would not have expected.
Make the most of time/energy/money : A plan groups things together so that you are not back-tracking and wasting time. Also, it guides you in a general direction based on what you considered the most important parts.
Tour Guides
Tour guides are a great idea if you want a schedule and plan all laid out for you. The only work you have to do is just show up ready to have fun. There’s something relaxing about following the leader.
Tours come in all shapes and sizes. There are multi-week tours all the way down to a half-day or tour that only lasts a couple of hours.
How To Research & Plan
Research & planning go hand-in-hand. They work together. When you are doing research you are making a plan in your mind, saying “no” to some things and an enthusiastic “yes!” to others.
Here are some ways to get started:
(1) Determine what is most important to you.
(2) Research the activity – understand the when/where/how to get there/for how long/price/and weather challenges.
(3) Nearby: Are other places nearby that you can knock-off your list at the same time?
(4) Spontaneity: Build spontaneity into your plan. It may sound funny, but you can. You can plan for a time or place to be spontaneous, and let loose from the responsibility of adhering to the schedule.
Examples Of A Plan
Example #1
Most important parts = arrive -> stay in this area -> do this in area #1 -> see these multiple things in area #2 -> leave by this time & date.
Example #2
Here’s a list of my things that I “MUST go/see/do”, “okay if I skip, it’s just for killing time”, and “I really want to go, but if it’s expensive or the weather is not good, then I will skip it”.
Example #3(thinking out loud)
The museum is only open on Wednesdays and Fridays until 4:30 pm. I want to go do dinner on Friday in the city center where there is also a festival going on, so I will go to the museum on Wednesday early in the morning. I will push the site-seeing tour to Monday, because I will be tired from walking and do not want that to affect the museum trip (I MUST go there!) and dinner at the festival on Friday.
Example #4(thinking out loud)
I arrive on __ day at __ time. I leave on __ day at __ time. Because my arrival time is in the evening when it is dark, I not make plans for that evening or morning of the next day so that I am not pushing myself too hard.
Also, I need to prepare for confusion upon arrival – finding an ATM (some won’t accept my card for some reason), not finding a taxi, walking around and searching for the hotel address, checking in and getting settled, and oh yea… finding food after a long day.
All of this means that I have 1 day less than I thought.
Oh yea, I leave in the early morning on __ day. So, I should book a hotel room nearby the airport because transportation to there may not be available that early in the morning! Glad I noticed that! It will really help out to stay walking distance to the airport – walking is a guaranteed option to get there.
Wait, how to walk there? Let’s check google maps, first, before booking.
Ok, I got that all figured out… so, I only have 3 full days in that city… what activities should I prioritized, because I cannot do them all.