Why You Should Try Spontaneous Travel In 2023

"Planning a holiday often entails months of researching, asking friends for recommendations, strategizing around costs, making reservations and otherwise preparing for a nice escape from your everyday life. But that’s not the only way to travel. In fact, many people enjoy more last-minute getaways.

Taking a spontaneous trip is a great way to let flexibility be your guide and explore destinations that weren’t necessarily on your radar. Don’t hesitate to go outside your travel comfort zone. And it doesn’t necessarily mean you need to spend more money.

A spontaneous trip allows you to be more present

These types of trips tend to comes with more bare-bones itineraries – or no itinerary at all – which makes for a slower, calmer experience.

With spontaneous travel, you don’t have the time to figure out every ‘top spot’ to see, so instead when you arrive and you find something you are enjoying, there’s not that pressure to leave immediately to fit everything in.

You can discover new sides to your travel personality

“For the more organized and ‘Type A’ kind of traveler, spontaneous travel may allow them to take a new and different approach to travel, and they might be surprised at how much they enjoy having a more flexible schedule, maybe they will even find that they are less stressed overall,” Susag notes.

Of course, there are benefits to planning ahead for a trip, but having to be more spur-of-the-moment in your travels can lead to pleasant surprises and amazing adventures.

Instead of having your trip already planned out when you arrive, it may push you to ask locals some of their favorite hidden gems or places to see and that can lead you down some really unique and fun adventures that you wouldn’t have known about had you planned far in advance.

The mental health benefits are real

“There are countless surveys that affirm travelers are more healthy, happy and productive than non-travelers, and with the addition of spontaneity to the mix, you can expect an increase to all of the above,” Nastro says. “Spontaneous travel can have the power to release us from daily stresses, spark creativity and an overall sense of adventure when we immerse ourselves in a new place.”

In a time when many of us live uber-scheduled lives, she emphasizes the value of breaking away from routine by taking a last-minute trip. It can be especially helpful if you’re feeling a little stuck in a rut.

“And while going on a super long and well-planned vacation can be amazing, it may not necessarily mean you’ll be feeling transformed the entire trip,” Nastro says. “A Dutch study at Radboud University in Nijmegen showed that trip length may not necessarily correlate to increased health and well-being as respondents said their health and wellness peaked at day eight, returning to pre-trip levels, so three one-week trips may be better than one three-week trip for overall well-being, for example.”

Read the full article on the Huffington Post

✨Takeaway: Scheduling a vacation can involve a lot of costs and research. Spontaneous traveling takes away the added stress of planning and allows more flexibility. It allows you to get out of your comfort zone and explore places you had no intentions of doing so before.

✨Reflection: Where would you like to travel this year?

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