The Power of Taking a Spontaneous Trip

I believe that perhaps the greatest mistake that we can make in this life is to not leave room for chance and spontaneity.

We’re taught, from a young age, that planning, preparation, and pragmatism are the cornerstones of success - but I often find myself wondering whether they’re the cornerstones of happiness.

When I lived in Turkey, I marvelled at how willing people were to just say “yes,” in spite of everything else. To go out to dinner at 10pm on a Monday because you can, or drop whatever other plans they had that were set in stone because there’s a recognition that a night of live music and shared food will trump whatever else was on the schedule.

When I moved back to Toronto, I was confronted with how carefully planned everyones’ lives were, and I think that attitude holds true for much of North America. Dinner dates were made weeks in advance, and people needed notice as far out as possible to secure any dates whatsoever.

Spontaneous adventures? Well, they were a little harder to come by.

There are benefits to that approach, there’s no doubt, but there are also benefits to looking the established norms in the face, and deciding that you’re going to do something different.

There’s magic in deciding that you, yes you, want to shuffle the deck and deal your own hand, as opposed to tirelessly playing the cards you’ve been dealt.

There’s exhilaration in deciding that, with a big old smile on your face - you’re just going to go for it.

Why Are Last Minute Vacations Worth Considering?

Before I head back into some of my feelings on a more emotional and philosophical level, it’s worth pointing out that it’s legitimately never been easier to locate and take advantage of last minute travel deals that make sense.

Planning a last minute vacation does not have to be more chaotic nor expensive, and, in fact, the reality is that a last minute vacation is often going to be a heck of a lot cheaper. Hey, sometimes it pays to live life on the edge, my friends.

Here are some of the reasons that I not only believe in but prioritize the concept of spontaneous travel.

Please note: this article is written in partnership with my friends over at Air Canada Vacations. They’re a brand I’m proud to stand beside, and happy to openly partner with as I’ve travelled with them before, and had recommended them prior to this partnership. That being said, all opinions here are completely my own.

It’s Never Going to Be the Right Time!

When Bri and I lived in Turkey, the list of people that were going to come and visit us was seemingly enormous. And yet, when we left some three years later, only a handful of people actually made that a reality.

Now, I want to point out that I’m not slighting a single person who didn’t make it over, as there are a whole host of reasons that people didn’t end up making that trip to Istanbul (and many were very legitimate).

However, the reason I’m bringing this up is that, once we returned to Canada, we suddenly had a bunch of people who had the realization that it was too late. We simply weren’t in Istanbul anymore to show them around and be a guide to that city for them.

I think that’s a common trend.

We can always think of one, two, three, five or eight reasons that right now just isn’t the right time to take “that trip.” It’ll happen next year, or the year after that, or perhaps the year after the year after next year. And then, all of a sudden, a decade has passed.

And I wonder - twenty years from now, are those reasons you came up with for not going really going to hold?

Are you going to say - “Well, honey, I’m awfully pleased that we didn’t take that trip to Mexico all that time ago as I had those three meetings I couldn’t miss, plus that dentist’s appointment, and let’s not forget that I had to take the car in.”

Now, of course I’m overdramatizing and oversimplifying the situation, but my point is that I’ve visited 80 countries now, and I can’t say that I regret a single penny that I’ve spent getting to any of them.

Could I have a nicer car right now if I hadn’t? Well, perhaps, but I sure wouldn’t trade my memories for any car.

Adventure Isn’t Reserved For “Other People”

I cannot count the amount of conversations where somebody will ask me about my travels, then look away and sort of longingly say, “wow, you’re lucky, I wish I could do that.”

Here’s the secret - you can.

It’s not as if I was born and innately understood that I was “a traveller” (though my parents would likely confirm that sitting still was indeed a problem for me). I started taking trips, which turned into other trips, which turned into moving abroad, which turned into being a travel writer.

But it all started with that first trip all that time ago.

It’s easy to look on social media and see your friends travelling or see somebody else living their “best life” and make the assumption that those sorts of journeys are for “other people” who aren’t you, but that would be a mistake.

I was listening to a podcast (something I am admittedly obsessed with) not all that long ago, and I remember a guest, a business couch, who came on to a popular blogging podcast I follow and said that there was one phrase that he always used with his clients that I think is wholly applicable here.

“Why not you? Why not now?”

It’s so simple, and yet it’s so profound.

If you haven’t thought of yourself as someone who would take a spontaneous trip, I’d challenge you to smash whatever box you’ve placed yourself in, and spread those wings a little bit.

There’s Value in Taking Unexpected Journeys

Perhaps the best part about taking a spontaneous trip, or planning a last minute vacation is that we don’t have too much time to mentally prepare.

Yes, that’s a good thing - hear me out.

If you’ve been thinking about every aspect of a trip for six months, and you’ve played it out in your mind a million times, you’ve already painted a whole mental picture of all that you may or may not experience.

With a spontaneous adventure, before you know what hit you, you’re off on a plane, and you’ve giving yourself a great opportunity to be in awe.

Think about it - if you’re headed to the Caribbean and you’ve longingly looked at a picture of a particular beach you’re going to visit about four hundred and twelve times, you’re probably going be less dazzled by it when you arrive than someone who hasn’t. I’d bet that the second person in this little hypothesis is going to be mouth agape, and awfully grateful, and in a way that the first person probably just couldn’t be.

Point blank - there’s something truly wild about suddenly being in a place that you didn’t expect to be.

I’m a travel writer for a living, right. So, sometimes, I get an email that let’s me know that, if I so choose, I could be on another continent in a couple of days, and sometimes hours.

All of a sudden, as if by divine providence, I’m sipping on wine, being soothed by the sound of the lapping waves. What percentage of me do you think wishes I had more time to prepare for that moment?

Zero, that’s how much.

It’s the very fact that I feel like I’m cheating the system, that I am there and perhaps didn’t expect to be. Now that is a beautiful feeling.

Whether We Like it or Not - Life is Short, My Friends

I believe that much of what I could say under a header such as this has been alluded to above, but I want to flesh it out one last time.

I’m not in any way suggesting that one cannot live a meaningful live without travel, but I am honing in on the idea that if you’ve always wanted to take that one special trip, but never have, then maybe you should.

Recently, I found myself in a place where I think I’d probably been working without a true day off for a period longer than I care to recall. Bri, ever wise, suggested that we just take a moment to reset, and we headed off to Dominican Republic to literally just clear our heads.

We got off the airplane, switched our phones into airplane mode, set auto-responders for our respective email accounts, and just took the time we so dearly needed.

It’s amazing what happens when you give yourself space to think.

I was out swimming in the ocean when an idea hit me like a ton of bricks that I’m now currently developing with another blogger. Stay tuned on that, but my point is that often times the most productive thing we can do is, ironically, give ourselves a proper break.

That’s something that it took me a long time to figure out, but I’m happy I did. Now I use the metaphor of the electric car, and remind myself that I can only go so far on one charge, and my time spent charging isn’t wasted, it’s preparing me for the next journey.

So, Where Do You Turn to Take This Spontaneous Adventure?

I believe this sort of mentality and the last minute deals from Air Canada Vacations are in simpatico.

I told you, up front, that I’m indeed partnered up with them on this, but I can tell you that I simply wouldn’t write a post like this if I didn’t honestly believe in what I was saying.

What I appreciate about Air Canada Vacations is that you’re not penalized for taking your last minute vacation - in fact, you can save up to 40% to many of the places I mentioned above, such as Mexico and the Caribbean.

I also enjoy that you can hop on a plane last minute and not worry about whether your itinerary or your details are set. The legwork is done once you book a vacation with Air Canada Vacations, so you don’t have to worry about booking your flight, then figuring out where you’re going to stay and what you’re going to do.

I can’t say I mind padding my Aeroplan account either because when you book with Air Canada Vacations you have the ability to earn Aeroplan Miles. And when you book a vacation package to the Caribbean or Mexico, your first checked bag is free and the transfers to and from the airport at destination are always included.

Go Create Some Memories

I’ve shared my thoughts at length on why travel is important, and I simply can’t help shake the notion that the more we’re exploring other parts of the world, the more empathy, understanding, and care for each other we’re going to have.

So, my polite insistence that maybe now is the time to get a move on and pack those bags isn’t coming so much from a desire for me to see people rocking their best tan, it’s more about asking people to consider broadening their horizons.

Even just writing this is getting me excited to be on the move again, and I’m absolutely blessed that I get to continue to travel, to explore, and, most importantly, to be humbled by what I’ve experienced.

Perhaps it’s obvious after reading this that I don’t take a single trip or a single spontaneous adventure for granted.

If I get word that there’s an opportunity to hop on a plane, or jump in a car, and be somewhere else - somewhere new - then I pack my bags with a calm smile, and head out the door, ready to once again be reminded of the beauty of this world.