The Time Cushion

Did you know when I was in high school I hated the idea of travel? At least, I hated it in reality. I think even then I fantasized about the castles of England, the streets of Manhattan, French basilicas and such. But when it came time to sign up for that youth group trip a couple states away, I balked.

Eventually, my fantasies and my daring met somewhere in the middle and I knew that to see all those wonderful places you had to be willing to go to them. I’ve lost a lot of my fear of travel, and I’m much more willing to forgo the comforts of home for the chance to see the world.

So since I’m more open to it, it thrills me to learn as much as I can about travel from the travel experts where I work. And today, a little tidbit that led to this blog post. I’m going on a whirlwind tour of Washington D.C. and New York City next week, and today we received our almost final itinerary. Which leads me to one important point.

To Be Flexible is to Be Sane

We leave in a few days, but notice I said “almost” final itinerary? I’m learning why having a professional customize your itinerary is worth the extra cost. If you’re including several attractions that require reservations, your itinerary could change with each phone call you make as you adjust the various attractions to make room for each other. But it’s not only that. You know this at home, but it’s even more true on the road: Things Happen. Tour guides get sick or have emergencies. Mistakes happen with scheduling. Weather is unpredictable except that it sometimes rains. Groups are delayed, and things never take as much or as little time as you’ve planned for. Learn to go with it. Being willing to budge on certain things you really wanted to see or the times and dates you wanted to see them could make the difference between a thrilling adventure and a week of stress.

And all that unpredictability brings me to the tip that led to this post:

Schedule Extra Time

We’ll be traveling in a group of 5-7 people, so we’ve packed our itinerary really tight, and we’ll be booking it between attractions and not spending very long in very many of them. Don’t try this at home. Or rather, don’t try this in a large group. You’ve absolutely got to schedule a cushion for the sheer madness of trying to get 30-50 people across a New York City street or in and out of the Natural History Museum without losing people in the gift shop. There is such a different dynamic when you’re in a large group. Trust the professionals and let them be your guide if that’s the case. But if you’re organizing things on your own – just take my advice on this. Leave a lot of room for travel to and from.

I love it when I hear tidbits I know will come in handy in the future as I embrace more adventure in my life. But more than that, I’m looking forward to taking the adventures so I can pass on the tips firsthand. Watch next week and after for more of that!

Photo by Katy Silberger on Flickr.

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