I’m off to the Philippines in under two weeks *does excited happy dance* but this is the first trip I’ve taken when I have only done the bare minimum of planning. Flights have been booked and Father Christmas kindly bought me a guide book but that is it.
The strange thing is that I’m not totally freaking out about the fact I haven’t got a jam packed plan even if my parents might be. Sorry mum.
Now please don’t be thinking I’m this laid back hippy backpacker with peace signs and everything trusting that the road will be my friend and the stars will guide me home. I just think that the more you travel the more you realise that it will all be ok. This is already my unofficial mantra in life. Before I jet off I will sort out a place to stay for the first few days, read my Lonely Planet guide on the looooooong flight over there and just go with the flow.
The thing with backpacking is that you can over plan. You get so excited and dream about sights, places, cities and beaches where you’re going to go plus all the activities you’re going to do. You can obsess over TripAdvisor reviews, spend hours pouring over travel blogs, YouTube videos and travel forums as you try to craft your perfect trip.
But sometimes this can feel like you’ve already been and done it before you’ve even left your house.
We all know that things don’t always go to plan. Flights are delayed, hotels look nothing like the photos online, some place steal your heart making you want to stay forever and others give you the creeps that you want to make a speedy exit.
Until you get there you don’t know how you’re going to feel so having the freedom to move on or stay put is in my humble opinion the best way to travel. Have a rough idea, know your budget but then don’t get bogged down sticking to a rigid itinerary with scheduled toilet breaks so you do as much as possible because you have such a limited time. This will break you. You will return home exhausted and feeling like your whole trip was one big rush where you barely scratched the surface of the amazing country you were in as you were always thinking about the next place you had to tick off.
Travel at your own pace and do the things you want to do. Not what you feel you have to do.
Don’t get me wrong planning a long trip and the preparations is all part of the fun but it can get a little ambitious. The main constraints backpackers have is time and money and both run out quicker than you can imagine. Of course there are certain things you do need to sort for any trip you take; flights, travel insurance and usually your accommodation is probably the most basic way planning you can get away with. Then to cover your ass you need to make sure you’ve got the correct vaccinations, visa and currency.
But this time I’m actually excited about the fact I don’t know where I will be going or what I will be doing. I’m heading over there to soak up the sun, meet some cool people, learn about a new culture and *ahem* write my third novel Destination Chile.
So if you do have any recommendations of things I must see or do whilst I am in the Philippines then please let me know! Are you are planner or a pantser when it comes to preparing for your travels?
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