Don't miss a freebie, deal, or new release.Join Now!
banner with headshot and name

On impulse

I fancy myself spontaneous, but in reality, I’m not. I’m a planner by nature. I make lists. I categorize things.

I love adventure, and might plan a trip last minute, but I still don’t leave without hotel reservations confirmed, a route planned, and a loose budget in mind.

Snore.

Even when we decided to drive a couple of extra hours on our way back from Miami last month, we secured a new hotel room first. (Turned out to be a good idea, since they were booked up by the time we arrived.)

But one year in college, I came very close to total spontaneity. It was during my year of transition from California to Arizona when I was still establishing residency in Tucson, and not yet going to school full time.

I was driving home from the Phoenix airport after a spring ski trip in Telluride with my parents. As I passed the exit for I-8 to San Diego, I was really, really tempted to head west for an impromptu road trip to visit friends.

Really, really, really tempted.

Problem was, I had winter clothes in my suitcase, no money for a hotel, and no idea if any of my friends would be around.

Le sigh.

But for the next hour, I couldn’t get the idea out of my head. It grew and grew until it took over, which is how I found myself calling people to see if they were up for a quick, unexpected visit from moi. Affirmatives received, I repacked, stashed some snacks and soda in my car, gassed up, and hit the road again.

Not exactly the spontaneous turn off of I-10 I had envisioned, but close enough for me. And I had a blast. I visited friends in San Diego, stopped by West Covina (near LA) to see my cousins, and sped up 101 to hang with a high school buddy at UC Santa Barbara.

I’ve never regretted that not-quite-impromptu road trip. Maybe one of these days I’ll do something truly spontaneous. You can be sure I’ll let you know.

What’s the most impulsive thing you’ve ever done? And I don’t mean choosing something different on the menu at lunch. 😉 Come on, spill.

Photo credit: ENDLESS ROAD © Verena Lüdemann | Dreamstime.com

Tell your friends!

3 Comments

  1. Reply

    Sounds like a great trip. Good for you. I don’t often do impulse travel for long trips, but I do like to just “go” somewhere for a day trip spontaneously!

    :0

    • Reply

      We like to do day trips too, Christine. It’s been a while, but once the tourists leave town, we’ll probably start going back into DC on the occasional weekend too.

Leave Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

%d bloggers like this: