chapter 4: introducing ✨planned spontaneity✨
how to plan, but still be spontaneous, when traveling
Happy long weekend to all my readers in the US! Hope you’re using the extra day off this weekend to get out of your comfort zone, whether that’s traveling to a far-off new destination or exploring a new taste or sight within your own home area.
In my last two newsletters, I discussed my firm belief that if you fail to plan, you plan to fail (part 1 and part 2) and shared my free downloadable template to plan out your annual travel calendar in both Google Doc and Google Sheets formats.
This week, I was planning to write up my entire trip planning process and share a template for how I build out itineraries for each of my trips… but then life happened, and back-to-back-to-back-to-back weekend trip fatigue certainly began to set in.
Despite my best intentions and planning out my week to try to get up early or stay up late and write, I missed my self-imposed deadline of sending out this newsletter on Friday mornings.
And guess what? Nothing went wrong. No consequence ensued. Everything was and is ok.
Instead of sticking to my plan of setting aside a few hours earlier this week to write and create this newsletter, I decided to be more spontaneous and spend more time with the people I care about during the few days I’m home in LA between weekend trips. I also chose to forgo working on this newsletter during my 7-hour drive to Death Valley yesterday in favor of being fully engaged in deep conversation and roadtrip singalong bonding with the group I’m traveling with.
I fully believe in having a plan, but also advocate for acknowledging that things don’t always go according to plan and recognizing the fact that you are empowered to change your own plans at any given time. Planning is not the opposite of spontaneity and serendipity as some people think – having a plan just means you have the option to follow the plan, but if another better alternative pops up, you always have the flexibility to divert from your existing plan and spontaneously hop onto the new opportunity.
For the next three days in Death Valley National Park, I mapped out a carefully planned itinerary that includes driving distance time estimates of an optimal route around the most picturesque viewpoints and hikes throughout Death Valley.
However, considering that we arrived at our Airbnb in the tiny town of Pahrump, Nevada about an hour from the park at around 1am, yet still set out by 5am to catch sunrise at Dante’s View in the national park, we are now planning to be spontaneous and play it by ear during the day, knowing that the plan exists as an optional guideline but that we should listen to our bodies and pull over to nap if it feels right.
When I do plan trips, such as the group trip I led in New Orleans last weekend, I follow a similar principle where I like to outline a potential schedule for each day grouped by neighborhood for most efficient walking and transportation routing – but, also know that we are never fully bound to the plan that is written down.
If we stumble across an activity that diverts us somewhere unplanned, or if we meet locals who suggest something new that wasn’t on the original itinerary, I can chose to scrap or rearrange the existing plan and go for the spontaneous, unplanned option.
For those of you readers who responded to my last newsletter explaining the anxiety you feel towards planning, I get it. From your perspective, I do understand how it can be anxiety-inducing to commit to a plan and then feel trapped if something else comes up that ends up being a more preferable alternative to the existing plans.
I would counter that anxiety about making plans by reminding yourself that plans are always adjustable. You are in control of your own life, and have the liberty to make plans, toss them out, make new ones, re-engage old plans, start fresh again, rinse, repeat.
So while my plan was to share a trip planning process and downloadable itinerary template this week, I am letting myself choose spontaneity this weekend and instead will report back next weekend with the promised planning guides.
xoxo your *loosely sticking to pre-made plans* Type A travel-planning bestie,
Caitlyn
🚨 If you enjoyed this newsletter and think any of your friends might find this template useful, forward it to your friends! I am doing this all completely free and out of the kindness of my heart because I want to share my knowledge to help as many people as possible travel more economically, more sustainably, and more intentionally…
so forward this email, share the link, post it on your IG story… share it far and wide, please, if you find this valuable :)
📝 travel hack of the week
Only allowed 2 bags maximum as a carry on and a personal item on a flight, so they say? I’ve learned how to finesse that… the amount of stuff I bring onto a flight that is “carry on only” should probably be illegal. But hey, it saves time and money so I’m here for it.
If you don’t want to pay for a checked bag and also don’t want to waste time waiting at baggage claim upon arrival, carry-on-only lifestyle is for you. But especially when flying airlines with strict baggage weight and size rules, this can be tough to pack for
My hack is bringing a nondescript paper bag (highest success rate) or a reusable grocery bag (lower success rate) filled to the brim with extra clothing or items, hidden underneath a snack or two strategically placed at the top of the bag. Most times, the airline staff won’t even bat an eye at a nondescript bag like this but if they do point out that you have more than 2 bags beyond your personal item and carry on, you can just say the bag is from buying snacks in the airport terminal to bring onto the flight since you have special dietary needs.
On 90% of my flights, I walk on with a full carry-on-sized backpack (staunchly #teambackpack and intensely anti-roller bag if you are a serious traveler) along with a personal item-sized backpack and a tote bag or paper bag full of extra layers, an extra pair of shoes, and snacks. I’ll look semi-ridiculous, but I don’t care… I love being able to walk off my flight and hop straight to my destination without waiting for baggage claim, I avoid the possibility of the airline losing my luggage, and saving the extra $30-40 per flight for a checked bag means I can spend more money on additional flights and trips, not superfluous fees. (I’ll talk more about travel budgeting and thinking about small expenses on an annualized basis in my next newsletter…)
If you’ve got any other travel hacks for finessing items beyond carry on luggage onto a flight, reply and I’ll share everyone’s answers next week!
🌎 where in the world is caitlyn?
After an energizing weekend of soaking in the rich voodoo history of the Deep South’s most vibrant city, dancing down Bourbon street in crowds full of purple-green-gold outfits, and catching a ridiculous amount of beads from all the Mardi Gras parade floats, I’m excited to now detach from city life and head out into the middle of nowhere on a road trip to Death Valley, a national park that I think is terribly underrated.
This is now my 5th long weekend trip in a row and I’m for sure starting to feel a bit of travel fatigue from the lack of sleep that results from squeezing in as much time as possible enjoying each destination while also balancing a full time job and planning future trips – but on the bright side, packing and repacking a backpack in between trips has now become second nature and super efficient.
This past weekend in New Orleans was my second time planning and leading a big group trip that brought together friends from Los Angeles, San Diego, New York, and San Francisco. Having only met a week ago, our group chats from the trip are now buzzing with plans for everyone to visit each other in their different home cities and even host joint birthday parties together. THIS is the power of travel – sharing once-in-a-lifetime experiences with strangers who quickly become friends is for sure the best and fastest way to bond and build strong friendships.
My first group trip to Oaxaca, Mexico for Day of the Dead last October also resulted in 10 people who didn’t previously know each other becoming good friends and having unforgettable memories dancing and screaming ¡Viva Oaxaca! with locals in the streets, with the sweet taste of authentic chocolate mole still on our tongues from incredible group dinners where we could order a restaurant’s entire menu to share amongst our group to indulge in a sampling of the region’s rich culinary culture.
Next weekend, I’m heading to Mexico City for another fully booked group trip to visit the monarch butterfly sanctuaries that are full of millions of butterflies at this time of year, along with day trips to the colorful canals of Xochimilco and the natural hot springs of Grutas de Tolantongo. If these group trips sound like fun, you’re in luck because…
👯♀️ group trip opportunities
I just announced the group trip that I am MOST excited about yet – this summer, I’m taking a group of scuba divers and soon-to-be scuba divers down to Los Cabos in the Baja California region of Mexico on June 1-5 to see the mobula ray migration!!!
I literally just cried watching this video from how beautiful these creatures are! 😭 I love eagle rays, manta rays, any type of ray… so much so that I have a ray ring that I wear daily and a big plush purple eagle ray pillow on my bed. You will FALL IN LOVE with these creatures once you see them majestically flapping their little wings as if they’re flying through the water 🥹
I’ve partnered with Your Friends Are Boring, a trip-planning platform centered around travel-centric sports like surfing and scuba diving, to serve as their first guest host for this dive trip.
I only got scuba certified just under a year ago, but it’s now one of my biggest passions in life – I’ve already got 30+ dives across Tahiti, Mexico, and the Florida Keys under my belt plus Advanced Open Water, Nitrox, and Deep Diver certifications. If you need to someone to convince you that getting scuba certified is the best possible investment you can make into your happiness… I’ll convince you. There’s nothing as magical or meditative as being deep below the ocean’s surface, interacting with marine wildlife in their natural habitat, with nothing but the sound of you and your bubbles. True serenity.
This trip caters to both experienced divers as well as anyone who is not scuba certified yet but wants to get the certification done for way cheaper than in the US and in way more exciting of a location with insane wildlife sighting opportunities! I paid almost $1000 all in to get scuba certified in New Jersey and doing my Open Water dives in San Diego, so the fact that this entire trip including accommodation, airport transfers, all the dives and rental gear, an extra full day snorkel tour, group breakfasts, and amazing new dive buddies in an exotic location is only around $1400 is an absolute steal.
I am wholeheartedly excited to offer this opportunity to turn anyone’s scuba diving dreams into a reality by getting PADI Open Water scuba certified on this trip. Or by checking off an experienced scuba diver’s bucket list of seeing these incredible rays and other exciting wildlife like hammerhead sharks in the Sea of Cortez.
Check out the full trip outline I put together to get the full details and you can book your spot to join this epic bucket list dive trip by submitting just a $450 deposit on Your Friends Are Boring!
🎙mic check…
I’ve done a bunch of podcast interviews over the past 3 years, and finally put them all into one single playlist!
If you want to hear more of my travel stories like what it’s like to camp in Antarctica, or more of my travel philosophy around how I set out to visit all 7 continents and as many countries as possible during the span of 4 years in college, browse the podcast playlist below and dive into an episode!
🪣 bucket list inspo
New Orleans and celebrating Mardi Gras wasn’t necessarily on my radar since I’m personally not a huge drinker or partier and the event seems to center around debauchery.
However, I would so highly recommend adding a Nola Mardi Gras experience to any and everyone’s bucket list. It’s actually way more of a family-friendly activity than I originally expected and even going with a group that was mostly sober and non-drinking was an incredibly fun time in a city full of amazing rich cuisine, history, and culture. Dancing around in the streets catching beads from the colorful Mardi Gras parade floats requires nothing more than a love of life and a willingness to seize the moment.
Shoutout to Sebastian who said reading my book inspired him to join this group trip, as well as my upcoming Mexico City group trip! I absolutely relish the fact that I can now provide both inspiration to travel, and then turn that inspiration into actual travel through my group trip offerings :’)
📖 read with me
BOOK CLUB UPDATE: 11 people have joined my Wanderlust Reads book club so far, and more are welcome to join!
You have the next 2 weeks of February to read the female traveler-narrated memoir called What I Was Doing While You Were Breeding. Then, we will have a zoom call on or around Feb 28 (depending on group availability) to share our thoughts, reactions, and favorite moments from the book.
Let’s get back into reading more, together!
Click here to join my virtual book club on a social reading app called Fable that I’m trying out – if you choose to read the ebook in the app, you can write comments on specific chapters or paragraphs that the rest of the book club members can also see!
But if you’re old school like me and want to buy and read the physical copy of the book, you can do that too – just reply and let me know that you’ll be participating so I can include you in a book club group chat :)
💭 self reflection prompt of the week
Traveling for a seasonal cultural phenomenon or holiday is now one of my top reasons for travel – it gives an explicit purpose for taking a trip at a specific time rather than putting it off on your eventual bucket list, and adds a travel intention of experiencing rich culture and unique pockets of life around the world.
What is your most treasured cultural or seasonal event? What cultural holidays or events around the world do you want to experience in person one day?
Leave a comment or hit that reply button and let me know your answer!
📱let’s connect
If you’ve got feedback on the format of this newsletter, or suggestions for travel topics you want to hear more about, don’t be shy! Reply to this email or DM me:
Instagram: @caitlynlubas / @you.are.where.you.go
Twitter: @caitlynlubas
TikTok: @you.are.where.you.go
LinkedIn: Caitlyn Lubas (feel free to reach out if you want to talk about working remotely, transitioning careers, etc!)
That’s all for now…
Remember, you are where you go – never stop exploring the world and yourself! 🌎 🌍 🌏
If you enjoy my writing in this newsletter, you’d love my book called You Are Where You Go: A Traveler’s Coming of Age Journey Through 70 Countries and 7 Continents During College. Feel free to pick up a copy on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or reply if you’re interested in me sending you a signed hardcover or paperback copy :)
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