As my friend Arnab Nandy,
journalist, travel writer and blogger with a repertoire of travel experiences
under his belt enviable for his age, writes –
I consider the planning ahead of a tour, as
part of the trip because I become very involved in the process. I eat, sleep
and drink the trip for a few months before it actually happens.
Courtesy, Arnab Nandy, stray travels
I couldn’t second this more. For me,
the thrills of a trip begin at my computer console, way before I hit the road.
Some say you ensure saving monetarily by investing in the time and plan. My
recent Nepal trip contradicts this, emergencies can beat the best of plans and
budgets go haywire past then.
I had planned a lot for my first
solo trip. Going away alone was an adventure on its own, the excitement of actually
being able to do it kept me awake late into the nights. Planning a route, finding
shelters along the way, negotiating per night charges, pouring over maps,
websites and landscape snapshots…uff…I can still feel that skin-tingling
pleasure. Preparing for the trip is only second to the journey itself.
In my impending trail through Nepal,
I was to meet and hear of many adventurers who had hit the road without itineraries.
They didn’t care where they slept the night, when they reached a destination,
which route they followed, barely armed with a map, money and long term visas,
they were taking it as it comes.
Planning works for me – (1.) money
is limited and a budget appraisal is essential (travelling within the country doesn’t give me
currency conversion advantages) (2.) on the same note, one can hunt for better bargains given ample time (3.) safety is a concern for me, I need to know where exactly I’ll be stranded at
night, especially while travelling alone (4.) contacts made beforehand can be reached
out to for suggestions and in emergencies (5.) my enthusiasm and free time for
non-work related activities is notorious, I just need an excuse to daydream of
escapes!
But for some, escaping with no clue
seems to work fine.
