Travelers Without a Schedule


Once you've crossed the threshold of not booking anything in advance, one great advice we have received from a group of backpackers we have met was this:

"Book only the first night, so you can easily shift to another B&B if you're not happy with it."

We traveled in Peru and Bolivia without booking accommodation in advance. Photo taken in Lima, Peru

It made a lot of sense to us and the rest of the travelers we met. This tip deemed very useful based on experience, but may not work for those who prefer a comfortable scheduled trip. 

This is perfect for our preferred mode of traveling: when we don't have a planned itinerary for our trip. We always travel this way. Traveling without schedule. We just know when our flights are and approximately where we want to go and what we want to see, but we can decide very easily if we want to stay longer or shorter in a place without being tied down by pre-booked accommodation.  
  • Advantages:  This gave us flexibility to check out and move to a better place the next day, escaping the hassle of arguing with the hotel manager to get our refund. 
  • Disadvantages:  Sleeping bags and tents may come in handy in case we run out of rooms during peak season.

Happy Wednesday!
Love & light,
Arni

{P.S. This is a scheduled post .  Day 8: Blog Everyday in May Challenge. I might be somewhere in the terminal of Hong Kong today while you read this post.}



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5 comments

  1. Sherry EllisMay 8, 2013 at 11:42 PM

    Travelling without a schedule certainly does allow for spontaneity!

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  2. Erika from AmericaMay 9, 2013 at 6:43 AM

    I think this is a good plan -- leaves room for flexibility -- which is REALLY good in travel. Well, you're better than me -- I was a little too flexible when I went to Spain and waited until I *got* there to book accommodation... and it turns out, everything was booked up. I have since learned my lesson (and that was years ago), but yes -- a balance of flexibility is excellent.

    And at least we're living in the time of reviews... those help out so much with planning... for those people who HAVE to have accommodations booked. :)

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  3. DeidreMay 9, 2013 at 10:59 AM

    I think I would struggle with this mode of travel a little bit, part of my LOVES the sound of it, and other parts of me starts to panic a bit :)

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  4. JaneMay 10, 2013 at 4:53 AM

    i knoow i'm one of those people that has to have lodging planned out to the T! but this is refreshing for me to read - kinda pushes me to think differently! :)

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  5. Christina @ The Murrayed LifeMay 10, 2013 at 8:53 AM

    There's so much freedom to planning without schedule. Though the one time we tried was in Croatia, because we'd been told you basically get there and can find places easy peasy. Well, we drove through the night and got stuck in the middle of nowhere and ended up sleeping in the car. We then found an internet cafe and booked a room for that night. It was fun though from there on out, and memorable for the first night! :)

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