Travel spontaneously. It’s all over my website and social media but what do I mean by it? It means get out and travel, even if it’s just an hours drive away. Just get out of the house and see somewhere new. There are many days I wake up without a plan and just drive random roads to see new places. Is there a side of town you haven’t been to? If so, head out there and explore it! This article will discuss some of the experiences I had while traveling spontaneously and hopefully serve as inspiration to loosen up that itinerary.
How I Travel Spontaneously
There are three major ways I incorporate spontaneous travel into my road trips.
1. Random day trips.
2. Stopping at different places on the way to a destination.
3. Taking a different route home.
All you need is a car and a map to experience things you never thought you would. Using these strategies are a perfect way for visiting sites that don’t require too much time to experience. These places don’t warrant a full trip by themselves but they can enhance an existing trip or day trip.
I have two tips for how to travel spontaneously. They kind of go together but they are both important to know.
1. Look at a map!
2. Know the route you are taking.
Looking at a map, preferably a digital one on your phone or computer is a great way to find places. For random day trips the map helps you see where places are in comparison to where you are. They also show possible routes and the businesses nearby.
Knowing the route you are taking allows you to look at a map to see what is nearby. Is a historical site a few miles off the highway? Go see it, you are that close! Traveling spontaneously helps lessen regret. Did you miss a place you really wanted to see because you were stuck to a set schedule? Using my tips will hopefully help you feel regret less when traveling.
Now that I have laid out my strategies let’s see how I put them into practice. I will use examples of all three ways I travel spontaneously and explain how I used the strategies I discussed from my two tips.
Random Day Trips
I have taken many random day trips. Some were planned and some unplanned. In this article I will discuss unplanned ones. My favorite and most memorable day trip happened over spring break when I was in high school. My grandma and I got in the car and I ended up driving from Cleveland to Westfield New York. It was my first time ever going to the state of New York so it was super exciting for me. Another random day trip I took was in 2020. The night before I decided I wanted to go to Camden Park in Huntington, West Virginia. It was about a five hour drive but it was worth it as I got to ride four new roller coasters! On the way home I took a side trip to Kings Island near Cincinnati because I could. This trip was both fairly random and also featured me taking another route home. Both of these trips are wonderful memories that wouldn’t have happened if I wasn’t spontaneous.
Stopping at Different Places on the Way to a Destination
When I travel I always study the map and the route before I go. Once I have a destination that will take up the majority of the trip I go to my map. I look up my route and see if there is anything I find interesting on the way or near my final destination. Two of my most prominent trips that included stopping at different places on the way are my trips to Florida, and my Minneapolis to Kansas City trip. Both of these trips involved me knowing my route and studying the map for fun stops on the way.
My trip to Florida included a 14 hour drive from Cleveland. I had one day to drive down to Orlando before visiting Sea World the next day but I did not want to spend the whole day just driving. I was driving through seven states so I decided I would make a few stops. My first stop was in Statesville, North Carolina. Statesville is right off the highway on Interstate 77 which was on my route to Florida. My friend also lives in Statesville so we decided to meet up. We met downtown at Tacontento, a Mexican restaurant. After spending an hour with her I was on my way. My second and final stop was at Leopold’s Ice Cream in Savannah, Georgia. My route to Florida took me near Savannah so I decided to make a quick trip over to a famous ice cream parlor downtown. I will write more on Leopold’s later but it was worth the trip and half hour wait. I finally arrived in Orlando at 9:30pm after leaving the house at 3:30am.
Like my Florida trip, my trip to Minneapolis and Kansas City had some fun stops on the way. When I left for the trip I had a general idea of what my trip would look like. A baseball game in Minneapolis, Valleyfair, Mall of America, and Worlds of Fun once I got to KC. It turns out the most memorable day of that trip happened on my travel day from Minneapolis to KC. I was sitting in Target Field waiting for the Twins and Yankees to play. I started looking at the map on my phone and the route I was going to take from Minneapolis to KC. I came across Arnold’s Park in Iowa. Arnold’s Park is a small amusement park located on Lake Okoboji in Iowa. It had roller coasters so I added it to my travel day. I spent around two hours in the park and surrounding area and I can’t wait to return and spend more time there. I will post another article about my trip to Arnold’s Park in the future.
After Arnold’s Park I drove down to Villisca to see the Axe Murder House. On the way to Minneapolis I was listening to a podcast about the house but it didn’t occur to me just how close It was to my route until I was looking at my map at Target Field. I wanted to see it so I added it to my travel day also.
With both major trips, I got to experience many different things because I stayed spontaneous and did not have too rigid of a schedule. Being flexible and open minded is super important to maximizing your travel experiences.
Taking a Different Route Home
Every time I take a road trip I always like to look up different routes home. It allows me to see different places and even make stops on the way home. Travelling home shouldn’t be depressing so spice it up a bit with a few stops on the way back. Two instances of taking a different route home represent my favorite memories of trips I have taken. These include my Route 66 tour on the way home from St. Louis and riding the world’s oldest roller coaster in Altoona on the way home from Hershey.
In the spring of 2021 I booked a trip to St. Louis. I wanted to go to Six Flags St. Louis and the City Museum. I also made a stop at Ted Drewes which is an iconic ice cream stand. I am obsessed with Route 66 and I hope to drive the full route one day. Since I was already on the route earlier in the trip at Ted Drewes I wanted to see more in the time that allotted. I was still in college and I had finals coming up so I did not have much time to explore but I made the most of it. On my way home I decided to make a few stops at some iconic Route 66 locations in Illinois. These included the Cozy Dog Drive In, The Gemini Giant, Rich and Creamy, and the Chicken Basket (More on those in another blog post). I didn’t get home until two in the morning but it was so worth seeing places I always dreamt of seeing.
Like my St. Louis and Route 66 trip, I took a different route home from Hershey in July of 2020. After spending two days at Knoebels, and Hersheypark it was time to come home. While I was driving with my friend and travel partner a thought came into my head. “Isabel, you should totally go to Lakemont Park to ride Leap the Dips.” When these thoughts get into my head I have to act on them. Within a few minutes we shifted course and were on our way to Altoona, Pennsylvania. After going to the park we took backroads all the way back to Cleveland which gave me new things to see.
Conclusion
Travel should be all about having fun. It is not worth stressing over itineraries or strict schedules when planning trips. By being spontaneous and flexible, you can see and experience many different things. Without being spontaneous, I would have never ridden the oldest roller coaster in the world or eat at the restaurant that invented the corn dog. If you use my strategies, you too will be able to make new memories you never thought of making when setting out on your journey.
