Hey folks,
when it comes to traveling, I’m somewhat of a control freak. I tend to meticulously craft the itinerary beforehand, vigorously researching not only things to do and try but also various photography spots.
And sometimes, it just gets too much. Planning ahead is important but is there such a thing as too much planning? I think there is and it’s something to look out for.
After all, if you’ve already gone through the plan a hundred times in your head, does it make sense to do it again? I’m certainly guilty of this, rechecking every detail over and over again. But the truth is, controlling everything is impossible.
Neither should we attempt to. A part of what makes traveling so much fun is the element of surprise, the freedom of deciding what to do on the spot, venturing into the unknown.
So there inevitably comes the point when instead of generating more stress for ourselves by trying to plan for every possibility, it helps to take a deep breath and tell ourselves “It’s fine. It’s good enough”.
If you’re in the same boat, here are a few tips that I think are useful to remember in situations like these.
Less Is More
The number one mistake with planning a trip, at least for me, is to try and get as much into the itinerary as possible. I might not return to the country for a long time or perhaps ever, so it’s best to get all the checkboxes ticked now, right?
Wrong. The reality is there will never be enough time for everything no matter how hard you try. By packing out trips with experiences up to the brim we’re only stripping ourselves of an opportunity to enjoy them to the fullest.
It is often said that less is more and that’s definitely the case here. Limit yourself to a few things that truly matter in the trip and allow yourself to live them out.
You Can’t Control the Future
No matter how much you plan and research, foreseeing every possible outcome is impossible. Things will always play out differently than you have envisioned. Trying to account for everything is therefore simply a waste of energy.
As Oliver Burkeman argues in his book 4000 Weeks, “Worry, at its core, is the repetitious experience of a mind attempting to generate a feeling of security about the future, failing, then trying again, again, and again.“
Remember that every time you plan a trip. Do your research but don’t worry too much about every little tiny aspect of it. To quote Oliver Burkeman once again, “You only ever get to feel certain about the future once it’s already turned into the past”.
Let Things Happen
Perhaps most importantly, it’s necessary to learn to let go of a desire to control everything. Have a rough plan, know your options, but apart from that just relax and let things play out their own way.
That worst-case scenario you might have worried about will probably never happen. Likewise, something new and unexpected might come up during the trip that you want to pursue. So, why over-plan in the first place – just wait and see. You can always course-correct as you go.
This is something I have to occasionally remind myself of. Whenever I feel that I spend too much effort on planning, I take a step back, have a critical look at what I already have, and ask myself – is it good enough? And if the answer is yes, onto the next thing!
Because after all, sometimes the unexpected is the best thing that can ever happen to you.
Cheers,
- Alex
Latest from Sunset Obsession
I have recently published another article about the Italian Dolomites. Such a lovely place! If you’re a landscape photographer or enjoy the great outdoors, definitely make sure to have it on your radar. You’ll love it there!
Sunset Obsession Recommends
4000 Weeks – a book by Oliver Burkeman that I’ve been enjoying lately and cited numerous times throughout this post as well.
At a glance, 4000 Weeks might look like simply another self-motivational and self-inspirational book. It’s for exactly this reason that I’ve been delaying reading it for so long. But now that I finally got to it, I actually regret doing so.
The theme of the book is our attitude towards – and misconceptions about – time. But you won’t find the usual “be efficient, use this and that technique, lack of time is simply a question of priority” mumbo-jumbo here.
4000 Weeks dives much deeper into the psychology of our relationship with time and does so brilliantly. On more than one occasion while reading it I caught myself thinking: “Hey, that’s such an interesting idea, I never thought of it this way!”.
This book made me rethink and reevaluate quite a few of my beliefs about time. Some concepts made such an impression that I keep going back and rereading them. Overall, a great read that I wholeheartedly recommend.
Sunset Obsession Image of the Month
I’ve recently been going through some of the images that I took in the Dolomites last autumn. And I have to say – looking back at those, I can’t help but admire what a beautiful and incredible place that is. Here’s just one example.
Quote of the Month
“Our efforts to influence the future aren’t the problem. The problem, the source of all the anxiety, is the need that we feel from our vantage point here in the present moment, to be able to know that those efforts will prove successful.”
― Oliver Burkeman, 4000 Weeks