Traveling with a plan Vs. Just going

I've traveled a lot of different ways. My first big trip was a European coach tour where we did 11 countries in 14 days or something. It was a lot. Completely intense. Everything was planned for us and we were just along for the ride. Which also meant watching the clock ALL of the the time but we got to see all the big highlights. I went to Vietnam a few summers later with no plan. We planned about a day in advance and did everything with trip adviser recommendations. Except for the motorcycle down the Ho Chi Mihn Trail from random dudes with motorcycle. That wasn't on trip adviser.  I did a relaxing African safari booked through a travel agent that cost as much as a nice used sedan.... Amazing- but not long term realistic and probably shouldn't have been realistic at the time. And then a trip to New Zealand that I got a travel teaching scholarship. That had to be planned to the T to get approved of funding. This Alaskan summer is kind of a little bit of a hodgepodge of those trips. The first week we had a few destinations we wanted to hit- but really no plan at all. We were like kids in a candy store who just got more than 30 miles of road to explore. All the things! Which honestly- I kind of love. But- we have missed out on a few things when we got there with no plan. Now for us this summer- it's not really a big deal we are already planning on heading back to a few places now that we know what is going on. But if  we had only a limited amount of time- it could have been a pretty big bummer.  No matter how you like to travel I think the biggest advice I have is just to be flexible. Go with the flow and don't harp on the little things that don't always work out but instead count your succesess. 

Your only time CONSTRAINTS are you

Schedules stress me out. Even the fun things. I feel like I am constantly over aware of how much time it is taking me to do something. Too little time you are rushed. Then if you get somewhere too early you are just stuck waiting. I feel like it is the most unnatural thing in the world. As Scot says "Time is just something that has been created by man." And it's true. When I can just do what I want when I want life is a whole lot better. 

Low expectations make the adventure less stressful

Have you ever noticed how the media or even advertising always makes everything absolutely perfect? It's there business- of course it seems perfect. But then we are left with experiences that sometimes don't match what we thought they were going to be.  When you are just going where the adventure and road takes you, and you find gems that are completely unexpected- they are that much more exciting. If you have a big master plan and something goes wrong and you miss out on something, it isn't as good as you intended, or it rained that way and it wasn't in the plan- you are left with feeling let down. Everyday can't be perfect whether you plan it all out or not. So just go with the flow and see where everything takes you. 

sleep in when you want, go when you feel like it, take a rest day when your body needs it

I've done the trips where I had to get up at 5 am to make sure I had enough to time to do ALL THE THINGS. You are go go going all day long. I've actually made myself feel sick by the end of a trip because of it. What is the purpose of taking a vacation and then needing a vacation from it? Sleep till 9? 10? It's raining and cold out so maybe 11? Okay. Great weather and birds chirping and waking you up at 7? Alright! Take care of yourself. 

Get off the beaten path and find out what the locals do 

A few of our favorite trips so far this summer have been ones that were recommended to us by people who have seen the state several times over. We passed through Fairbanks to resupply and refuel and traveled 80 miles down a dirt road to get to a funky little hot springs bathhouse (Manley Hot Springs) that was filled with tropical flowers taller than I was and looked like something out of a very mythical land. Totally unexpected. And way more fun than yet another group tour. (Which we haven't been on a single one- but they are everywhere.) I've had dreams of taking a trip and only relying on other people for what I should do. Land in a far away city, pop into a local coffee shop and ask where I should go- what I should do. And then go. And when I get there, ask someone else the exact same thing. I'll do it someday. 

Let's talk about how relaxing hot springs are after being dirty and dusty for 4 days without a shower...

1 of 4 big baths

And this exists way north in Alaska???

finding some of the things are overbooked

One of the biggest things on Scot's list was going to Denali. Denali works in a super cool way- but I didn't know anything about anything and just rolled in as if I was were going to Rocky Mountain National Park. It was kind of frusterating at the time- but I think it is pretty cool now. You can't drive very far into the park. And where you can- there is nothing to do except be on the road and enjoy the scenery. Which is beautiful. But you drive that 15 or so miles in and you have to take buses into the park. You can stop absolutely anywhere and they will let you off and just find the road later and flag down a bus and you can continue on your way. I think about the lines of cars trying to get through Rocky Mountain National Park last year and how terrible that was. This idea is amazing to me. Downfalls? No dogs on buses. So then we learned there were some campsites inside the park that if you book for 3 or more days you get to get like 30 more miles into the park. Perfect. We don't usually do the campground thing- but for something like this it would be totally fine. But... You guessed it. Booked for the next week. So... we just had to turn around and continue on our merry way. Because we have the whole summer we can just go back with the information we now have but that would have been a huge bummer had that been the only time we could go. 

It's the wrong/too early in the season

A few days ago we went to MaCarthy- another recommended place. 60 mile or something down a dirt road. It's been newly revived and not that well known. They are really hesitant about tourism and you can't drive in. There is a footbridge and a 1/2 mile walk in or you can pay to take a shuttle. We knew there was this town and that we had to walk in. Then there are old mines another 5 miles up. The pictures are super cool. We were going to take the shuttle to the mines. I guess there is a whole other town there too and you can spend the whole day looking around. But it was 5pm already. And the snow hadn't melted enough yet to actually get to the mines. Just too early in the season. We could go see the town and shops but we went for the mines so again- just decided to go back later in the season. The drive there was beautiful and that in itself was enough to make the trip worth it. 

On our 1/2 mile walk into town. Everywhere you turn the area is littered with history.

Everything is being restored to it's historical beauty. No fast food chains here!

This is what real Alaska looked like. I can't imagine building something like this in the middle of no where with no modern tools. People really can be amazing.

Like I said- the drive alone is worth it. It's like this- the whole drive...

Moral of the story...

Whether you plan everything out or you just go- you are going to find bumps in the road. Especially the dirt ones. You're adventure is going to be what you make of it. If you have a good attitude and enjoy the simple things you are set. Chill out. Enjoy it all.