Planning vs Winging

Good planning = Good packing

I am in the midst of planning a two week trip to the Pacific Northwest and once again I am struggling to balance the planning and the winging. I am a planner by nature but I have a friend, Franjo, who's motto is "Wing it Franjo style." He is always trying to get me to plan less and be more spontaneous. I have to admit when I have allowed myself to wing it, it is a lot more fun. I am always afraid that if I don't make a solid plan I will end up wasting precious vacation time waiting around or trying to figure something out that I could have figured out beforehand. I don't know how to pack for winging it. Planning is so essential for good packing, especially if you are on a budget and can't afford to buy everything when you get there. I have planned most of my transportation and most of my lodging  for this trip. I have left about 5 days unaccounted for and I plan to wing it on those days. Please note I just said "I plan to wing it" and feel free to laugh at the hypocrisy of that statement.

Winging it in O'ahu gave me this view!

I will step off the Amtrak in Portland and go to the hotel I booked but I am going to stroll out of the hotel and see where the wind takes me. I hear food trucks are great so I am going to explore around until I find one. I want to do some camping while I am in the area but many of the campgrounds don't allow reservations. This is ideal for winging it. The planner in me wasn't totally comfortable with that idea so I booked a hotel for the first two days I am in that area so I can go and check out the campgrounds. I know there are travelers who throw in a few pairs of socks and clean underwear and hop on a plane. I am always envious of those people. I wish I could be more like that but the more comfortable I get with traveling the more I loosen up. On my first trip to Europe I had a 6 hour layover in Stockholm and I was hesitant to leave the airport to explore the city for a few hours. Today, that would be a no brainer. Who would sit in an airport for 6 hours if you had the opportunity to visit a new city?

I have less than a week until I leave and I will spend hours organizing a folder with printouts of all of my reservations, maps, schedules and type up a general itinerary to leave with my family (always a good idea when traveling alone). I will make an insane packing checklist, revise it and rewrite it multiple times. This trip is definitely heavy on the planning, but I hope when I get there the winging will take over. Next time you're thinking about vacation give yourself some security and make a few plans but be flexible and allow yourself room to enjoy those unsuspecting moments and "Wing it, Franjo style" every once in a while. You won't be disappointed.