When you travel do you like to plan every last detail or sit back and go with the flow? While it’s always useful to have a rough idea of where you want to go and what you want to see, sometimes the most enlightening travel experiences come from acting spontaneously.
According to the World Tourism Organisation, international tourist arrivals rose by 6% globally in 2018 to 1.3 billion. With travel now so accessible and so many of us doing it, it’s no wonder people are increasingly looking for alternative experiences. Here are four tips on how to plan for the unplanned.
Be open-minded about your destination
Dreaming of Dubai? Pining for Peru? While we all have our ideal destinations in mind, sometimes the best travel experiences – and prices – can be found in places we don’t immediately think of.
Many flight comparison websites allow you to set up last-minute alerts, while empty leg flights give you the opportunity to travel in luxury for less to a pre-defined destination. If you can be prepared to go almost anywhere at short notice, who knows what you could find.
Always save for travel
Following on from the previous point, you can’t wake up and decide to catch a flight that same day if you don’t have the money in the bank to pull it off. Whereas others may save for a car or a deposit on an apartment, why not save for spontaneous travel?
Cut down on luxury purchases, cancel those unused subscriptions and cook your own meals. There are countless ways you can save extra money each month – and countless destinations you could visit as a result.
Speak to the locals
Places change and evolve all the time, and it can take years to truly get to know them. As much as you can do your research, you’ll never have the insider knowledge of a local – but you can speak to them and get it that way instead. Whether it’s in bars, at bus stops or in the local supermarket, speak to the people that live and work where you’re visiting and see where they like to hang out. Guidebooks do a good job for the most part, but you’re not the only tourist reading them – so take a chance on a local instead and go with their recommendation.
Choose the accommodation you can cancel
This point is especially important if you’re traveling from place to place or for an undetermined length of time. If you’ve shelled out on a hotel with no chance of a refund, you’re unlikely to spontaneously change your plans – but the option of free cancellation gives you the flexibility you need.
Whether you fall in love with a place and decide you want to stay a few extra nights, or you decide you can’t stand it and need to get out, with free cancellation you can do just that.
Will you be ditching the itinerary for your next trip? Follow our tips and see where you end up.
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