The following is just a bit of waxing poetic. It is opinionated, non-factual rambling with the intention of stoking the inspiration. Wishing you all a year of big adventures and other good things.
The most important part of planning a trip is to always be planning a trip. As stated by the Universal Law of Travelers, it is imperative to be forever eyeing the next adventure.
Plan the trips you will definitely take, as well as the ones you may never take. It’s also important to plan for the trips that you might take. Because when they do happen, and go fully astray from the original plan, that is sometimes the best thing ever.
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Scheming, preparing, pouring over maps, making waypoints, and researching remote locales are what fuel us. And we must stay fueled. It is mandatory as an overlander. A full tank is worthless without an unknown destination laying out there ahead of you, just beyond the horizon, waiting to be explored.
When it comes time to take the trip you’ve planned, it does not need to be some sprawling monster of a thing. Being a card-carrying weekend warrior is nothing to shake a stick at. You may be relegated to a scant afternoon or a government holiday or long weekend without the kids. Perfect, this is your opportunity.
You do not need to travel far. However, you do need to go far enough that you can ignore life’s standard operating procedures. You need to find a time to neglect your ever amassing email, your breakfast-lunch-dinner lifestyle, and your regular daily routine. Household chores be damned and may your inbox be left unattended. The Universal Law of Travelers states that this is entirely acceptable when you are going on an adventure.
I highly recommend heading out someplace you’ve never been before. Or, at the very least, head in a direction you’ve gone just a handful of times. This gives you the opportunity to see the world with new eyes, which is what adventure is all about.
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When you go, pack your things and hit the road with gusto. Reckless abandon is what we’re going for here. Chug a cup of coffee and crush a hundred miles before breakfast. Head out after work, ride until that last hint of sunlight forces you into camp. Maybe set your sights on something close to home, but hopefully with spotty cell service. Wherever you end up, soak it up completely and enjoy it to the max.
If today is not the day for you to go, perhaps tomorrow is, or maybe next month. But definitely don’t wait too long. Life has a way of getting ahold of us and keeping us in the routine, or worse yet, passing us by all too quickly. We can’t let that happen. It is entirely unacceptable because we refuse to end up permanently trapped in the soggy, grey trenches of humdrum living.
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Of course, we can’t go totally wayward forever. We must return home because that is important too. Home is an anchor and an essential mooring for us travelers. Home is where we connect, reflect, and share. We return there because it grounds us after the wild ramblings. Plus, home is where we keep our maps.
The Universal Law of Travelers states that we are inspired, ambitious, and stoked. We will keep our gas tanks full and our GPS software updated. We will be forever eyeing an adventure and we will always be planning the next trip.
