No Plan, No Problem

I am taking off to Europe, for who knows how long. And until two days ago I had no flights. I’m not one for a plan. Definitely no itinerary. All I need is a general idea.

I like to go with the flow, go with the belief that things tend to work out. Maybe even in the way they were always going to, or meant to? Staying open minded to the possibility of change worked out well for my travels through South America. I had flexibility to travel with new friends, spend time in places I really enjoyed, and to leave those I didn’t.

We spend our lives planning what comes next. School, maybe college, maybe grad school, maybe a job, a move, a marriage, a child. I never thought of myself as future focused, but I am and I think we all are. The unknown of what is to come, how much time there will be, who we will love, how it will all go is utterly captivating. Because we will never know it. Traveling plan-less through South America I noticed for the first time ever how present my thoughts were. The future was later that day and tomorrow, not a five year plan.

I digress.

As of today I have two flights. One leaving Ann Arbor, MI (my home for the last 6 months) on Nov. 28th and the other a flight to Amsterdam on Dec. 17th.

Then it all gets a bit fuzzy. What I’m really drawn to in Europe is camping, hiking and mountains. Slovenia, Switzerland, Norway, Scottish Highlands. Thing is, most trails and treks won’t be open until the spring, April.

So what to do between January and April? On first thought, I figured I would spend the cold darkness of a European winter catching up with old friends. High school friends spread all around, but mostly in London and Denmark. I will explore snowy cities and enjoy cozy coffee shops. I will work on this space.

Then, an amazing friend of mine (currently living in Buenos Aires) mentioned she would be traveling through New Zealand and Southeast Asia beginning in February. This info coincidentally coincided with a bout of homesickness for Thailand - brought on by the most recent season of Chef’s Table.

My mind runs amuck, aided by Google flights. I could go to Thailand, flights are inexpensive in February. If I go, I am so close to New Zealand that I may as well go meet Zoe. I’ve never been to Vietnam before, maybe it is time for India. Bali! Oh, and the Himalayas, always calling my name. India to Nepal? I read about a hike in Tibet to Mt. Kailash, where the god Shiva sits. I must go. The middle East on the way back? Jordan, Israel, Palestine, Turkey?

Money. The fantasy brought rudely back into reality. I am constricted by the money, of course. How much do I want to spend? Staying in Europe, maybe Europe and the Middle East, is a very different budget than globe-trotting, including New Zealand and parts of Southeast Asia. This might be a grand finale to my rolling stone days (for the time being that is - once a rolling stone, does a rolling stone ever stop?). So maybe I should go all out, blow all my savings. Tempting and frightening.

I have a few definite plans. I know I will be in Copenhagen awaiting the birth of a very special baby in May. And I will be spending spring time in Switzerland, working in a friends flower shop and hiking in the Alps. But what will happen between January - April is unknown. 

For the universe to know, and for me to find out.