We all know that life is very busy and it is hard not to get caught up in the immediate needs that are right in front of you. The same is true when you are traveling, it is easy to be so consumed with what you need to do next that you don’t truly absorb the experience of the country or city that you are visiting. We aren’t suggesting that you don’t read about or investigate the place that you are planning on visiting, but we do suggest that you don’t put yourself on a ridged schedule.

There are always going to be some things that you have to see or attractions that you have to plan in advance because tickets sell out, but as a rule we try not to have a specific timeline for the things that we want to see. Often we will discover something that wasn’t in the guide books or travel apps by talking to the locals and asking them what things they believe is important to see in the place that they call home. We never know when we might want to stop someplace and grab a quick bite to eat or have a glass of wine and never want to feel like we can’t because we have to rush off to the next place on our list.

We didn’t always use to be this way. There was a time when we planned every part of a trip and tried to cram as much into each location as we possibly could. We usually came home from traveling more exhausted than when we left and often everything was a blur until we went back and review photos later. Then one time we packed our bags, put them in the car, and flipped a coin as to whether we would head north or south. We looked at the map, picked a city, and went on our way. No reservations, no idea where we would stay or what we would see. It turned out to be a wonderful trip to Alamosa, Colorado, and the Great Sand Dunes.

We aren’t recommending that you necessarily head to the airport with no destination in mind or even drive to a city without any plans as it could turn into a disaster, but there is something to be said for spontaneity. During our time in Europe, we usually decided on our weekend destination on Wednesday and then booked the hotel and train or plane that night with no real knowledge of what we would see when we got there. This week’s Daily Post Photo Challenge is Textures and, although it may seem a little off-topic for this post, we decided to share some photos of interesting patterns in the foreground and mountains in the distance. Much like not being able to see the forest for the trees, travel is about much more than just the next place on the itinerary.