Sometimes no plan is the best plan

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Happy Sunday & thank you for opening this week’s newsletter! 

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I can’t believe a month has flown by already, but this week will be my last week scuba diving here in Utila, Honduras. 😞 It’s been a month of meeting new people, settling down in a quaint apartment, developing my skills and abilities as a scuba diver and above all, a month of fun and personal re-charging. 

In fact, right now, there’s a tropical storm passing over the island, so there’s been no diving the past few days and the power has been in and out. Who knew that not scuba diving every day could actually feel kinda weird?

Reflecting on my time in Utila

My trip to Utila has taught me so many things about travelling, adapting as a person and navigating the world on my own. The main lesson that I’ve learnt from the interactions with people and experiences that I’ve had here is simple: sometimes no plan is a good plan. 

The next time I write to you, all things well, I should be back in the US with my family, because I booked my flights way in advance. However, what that meant for me is that I’ve had to really go hard at completing the requirements for my Divemaster program to be able to finish everything in the month that I was here for. 

Many people that I met in my time here have been travellers who are here for a few days as a part of their journey down Central and South America, and when you ask them when they’re leaving, they can only give an estimated date range rather than an exact date. 

The response is very much “we’ll see”.

Sometimes no plan can be a good plan

Especially for something like travelling, I’ve always been someone that LOVES an itinerary. I’ll figure out tours, restaurants, cafes and everything in between so that I can maximize my time in the place I’m visiting. When I was studying abroad in Europe in 2022, I had an itinerary for every country I went to that allowed me to hit many iconic spots in short periods of time.

Being here in Utila though, has made me realize that honestly, you don’t need a plan.

I was super lucky that my friend from college was here before me and kind of scoped out the place for us before I arrived, but even before getting here, I just trusted him wholeheartedly, booked a flight and planned nothing else. 

Now, I look back on the weeks I’ve spent here and I’m so grateful that I came with an open mind and open schedule, no expectations and no itinerary, because its been such a fun and fulfilling experience to just go with the flow day in day out. 

(Shoutout to you Jackson, if you’re reading this, for helping me muster the courage to take my first trip to a new place with no plans.)

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Travelling with no plans

Travelling with no plans is a bit scary, because you have a lot to figure out once you get on the ground in your destination. However, you quickly realize that no Google search, Yelp review or GetYourGuide Tour can beat the recommendations you get through word of mouth from locals and other travellers who are on the ground with you. 

The internet is a great resource, but planning a trip through the internet and booking tons of things in advance definitely makes you miss out on some of the more local and less “curated” experiences that are in the places you visit. 

I even feel the same way about Jamaica, and when I have friends that visit - I’m able to show them places that you can’t find online and give them a much more enriching experience because of my own experiences growing up there.

Conclusion

I’m not 100% sure whether I’d consider this to be a solo trip, because I’m here with my friend from college, but one thing that this trip has made me realize is that a solo trip is in my near future. It really is a great thing for personal development and it allows you to see a new place in a much more intimate way.

More than that though, I’m excited to travel to new places with less plans. I’m excited to book tickets and hostels but leave the experiences to the recommendations of the locals and other travellers.

Most of all though, I’m excited to see where else this new perspective fits in. As a self-proclaimed type-A personality, not planning doesn’t fit well with how I’m used to living my life. However, having been here and experiencing how leaving an open calendar can leave the door open for incredible memories, I’m keen to challenge my own personality type and let go of control in areas of my life that I don’t need to hold such tight control over.

Your challenge for the week:

This week, I challenge you to reflect on that with me. What in your life are you overthinking, over-planning and over-controlling? What does it look like if you stopped exerting so much control over aspects of your life that don’t require that level of control?

Who knows? Maybe letting go, just going with the flow and freeing yourself of expectations is the secret to being happier and finding more fulfilment in the experiences you have throughout your life. 

Let’s find out together! 

Until next Sunday,

Justin