What’s one piece of travel advice you always follow?

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Have a Plan, but Leave Room for the Unexpected

What’s one piece of travel advice you always follow?

Have a plan, but always be willing to pivot for new experiences!

I love having an idea of what I want to do when I travel. Whether it’s researching restaurants, finding cool places to explore, or making a list of things I don’t want to miss, having a plan helps me make the most of a trip. But I’ve also learned that some of the best travel memories come from the moments you never planned in the first place.

One of my favorite examples of this happened when I traveled to Texas for a bachelorette party. Instead of arriving right before the festivities, I decided to head out a few days early. My best friend, the bride-to-be, was there with me, and we decided to take advantage of our extra time by heading downtown Dallas for an adventure.

We didn’t have some elaborate itinerary or a perfectly planned evening. We just wanted to get out, explore, and see what we could find. Somewhere along the way, we stumbled across this cute bar and restaurant overlooking a massive waterfront. It looked like the perfect place to hang out, so we decided to check it out.

And that’s where the night took an unexpected turn!

While we were there, we ended up meeting a group of people visiting from Seattle. What started as a casual evening out turned into making new friends, sharing stories, and creating memories we never would have had if we’d stuck to a more rigid plan.

It’s funny how those moments work. You can spend hours researching the perfect destination or planning every detail of a trip, but sometimes the experiences that stick with you the longest are the ones that happen because you said, “Why not?”

That night in Dallas reminded me that traveling is about so much more than checking places off a list. It’s about the people you meet, the conversations you have, and the opportunities you give yourself to experience something new. You never know who you might meet or what kind of memory you might make when you’re willing to step outside your original plans.

So, my advice? Make the plan, book the trip, and do your research, but don’t be afraid to throw the itinerary out the window for a little while. Leave yourself room to explore that interesting restaurant, take the scenic route, strike up a conversation with a stranger, or say yes to an unexpected adventure.

You might discover a new favorite spot, make friends from across the country, or end up with a story you’ll be telling for years.

After all, sometimes the best parts of a trip are the ones you never planned.