The phantom plate of tagliatelle! The rejoining of strangers that turned into a birthday serenade! I smiled and laughed at so many points during this. What a treat.
Lisa! As a traveler who frequently goes without plans (though rarely entirely unplugged), I absolutely loved this interview. The hostels / homes of locals reminds me of a similar setup in the countryside in Cuba. I hadn’t realized this would be the case and was surprised on arrival to walk street after street and find nothing resembling a place to stay. I did find a spot in a lovely homestay eventually.
And that birthday story, spectacular. Exactly the reason I often wander without planning or research.
What a delight to meet you. Looking forward to more on your stack. Thank you, Lisa. Thank you, Samantha. Digging this series. :)
Thank you so much for the encouragement, Holly! I'm really glad to know the interview resonated (and very grateful to Sam for giving me the opportunity.) And now I think I need to travel to Cuba!
Enjoyed this! I'm more of a hybrid, a plugged-in discovery traveler--I research in advance but love to toss the research out the window when the mood hits.
Thanks, Amanda! That’s me, too—I like to have the structure of a schedule, but it doesn’t have to become an obstacle when something unexpected and interesting presents itself!
This is so on target, Sam! I wish I had the courage to travel unplugged like Lisa. As a traveler who usually has at least the beginnings of a plan (i.e., where to stay, a few ideas of what to see), I’ve found that the unexpected, unplanned moments, encounters, discoveries are really the best. In Palermo, we went in search of one recommended restaurant and ended at another—not reviewed anywhere—where we had a most delightful meal, then proceeded to get completely lost while trying to find our way back to our lodging and in the process discovered an amazing city. That happens over and over. It’s the surprises that make travel worthwhile. Thanks for reminding us.
Thank you, Ruth! Stumbling upon places like your restaurant in Palermo is the coolest—when you discover a place like that it feels like you a fun little secret!
“Travel has become flattened somehow” - gosh that is so well said, I really resonate with that. Did a bit of unplugged travel in India earlier this year and it was such a welcome rush and reminder of what’s possible!
Oooh, exciting! Yeah, honestly it was kind of transformative for me; the experience contributed to my decision to hit the road again full-time. 🙂 Sounds like you’ve got an adventure in front of you!
As Lisa knows we are kindred spirits once we get to a destination (we do handpick our places to stay). So...
Minimal research, no recommendations used whatsoever, random serendipitous wandering and picking places to eat based on lack of tourists and English language menus etc
Most of my best travel experiences were so completely unplugged that I wondered if I was still on the same planet. Late one afternoon in South Sudan, I heard that a woman in a nearby village was working at removing a Guinea worm from her ankle, so I decided to take a walk to see it. On the way, I met a man without clothes but smeared from the top of his head to the tip of his toes with fresh cattle dung. I asked my colleague why. “Because he is being honored by his village for donating a cow for a feast.” Somehow it distracted my thinking so much that I forgot about the woman with the Guinea worm.
A full moon rose that night, and as I sat by the dying campfire watching it, I thought about how that same full moon would soon be shining on a Walmart parking lot in Oklahoma.
Because I’ve never gone on an organized tour of anything, I have to ask if it is even remotely possible to have an evening as interesting as the one I just described?
I kept a picture on my office wall of one of our South Sudan Landcruisers (they’re not just for going to the mall anymore) sunken in a mud hole up to the windows, with the caption, “Why the report was late.”
I’m not sure how that would work in a tour bus. Caption: “Why the tourists turned into cannibals.”
I'm going to go out on a limb here and say...probably not. I've had some pretty amazing adventures, but guinea worm removal and cow dung honoring tops them all. ;)
The phantom plate of tagliatelle! The rejoining of strangers that turned into a birthday serenade! I smiled and laughed at so many points during this. What a treat.
Seeing Lisa’s answers was such a delight!
So glad it resonated!
Lisa! As a traveler who frequently goes without plans (though rarely entirely unplugged), I absolutely loved this interview. The hostels / homes of locals reminds me of a similar setup in the countryside in Cuba. I hadn’t realized this would be the case and was surprised on arrival to walk street after street and find nothing resembling a place to stay. I did find a spot in a lovely homestay eventually.
And that birthday story, spectacular. Exactly the reason I often wander without planning or research.
What a delight to meet you. Looking forward to more on your stack. Thank you, Lisa. Thank you, Samantha. Digging this series. :)
Thanks, Holly ☺️ your experience in Cuba sounds wonderful!
Thank you so much for the encouragement, Holly! I'm really glad to know the interview resonated (and very grateful to Sam for giving me the opportunity.) And now I think I need to travel to Cuba!
I will refrain from making any specific recommendations so that it will not have to be removed from your possibilities. ;)
Absolutely. I truly loved Cuba and only had 2 weeks there, which was not even close to enough time.
Enjoyed this! I'm more of a hybrid, a plugged-in discovery traveler--I research in advance but love to toss the research out the window when the mood hits.
Thanks, Amanda! That’s me, too—I like to have the structure of a schedule, but it doesn’t have to become an obstacle when something unexpected and interesting presents itself!
This is so on target, Sam! I wish I had the courage to travel unplugged like Lisa. As a traveler who usually has at least the beginnings of a plan (i.e., where to stay, a few ideas of what to see), I’ve found that the unexpected, unplanned moments, encounters, discoveries are really the best. In Palermo, we went in search of one recommended restaurant and ended at another—not reviewed anywhere—where we had a most delightful meal, then proceeded to get completely lost while trying to find our way back to our lodging and in the process discovered an amazing city. That happens over and over. It’s the surprises that make travel worthwhile. Thanks for reminding us.
Thank you, Ruth! Stumbling upon places like your restaurant in Palermo is the coolest—when you discover a place like that it feels like you a fun little secret!
From your wonderful Palermo experience, Ruth, it sounds like you very much do have the courage! ;) Thanks for letting me know the interview resonated.
Such a refreshing take on travel! Thanks, Samantha.
😊 thanks, Vicki! Glad you enjoyed it!
Great read! A memorable trip always involves a fair amount of unexpected / unplanned events. :)
Thank you, Martin! Agreed!
“Travel has become flattened somehow” - gosh that is so well said, I really resonate with that. Did a bit of unplugged travel in India earlier this year and it was such a welcome rush and reminder of what’s possible!
That's so cool! I've always wanted to see India...this may have inspired me to do some of it unplugged when I eventually make it there.
Oooh, exciting! Yeah, honestly it was kind of transformative for me; the experience contributed to my decision to hit the road again full-time. 🙂 Sounds like you’ve got an adventure in front of you!
So glad to know I'm not alone in feeling--or traveling!-- this way. Thank you!
Thank YOU for putting words to it, Lisa!
As Lisa knows we are kindred spirits once we get to a destination (we do handpick our places to stay). So...
Minimal research, no recommendations used whatsoever, random serendipitous wandering and picking places to eat based on lack of tourists and English language menus etc
That sounds really nice—especially if you have a good chunk of time to relax and explore.
Works for us Nomad Foodies!
Most of my best travel experiences were so completely unplugged that I wondered if I was still on the same planet. Late one afternoon in South Sudan, I heard that a woman in a nearby village was working at removing a Guinea worm from her ankle, so I decided to take a walk to see it. On the way, I met a man without clothes but smeared from the top of his head to the tip of his toes with fresh cattle dung. I asked my colleague why. “Because he is being honored by his village for donating a cow for a feast.” Somehow it distracted my thinking so much that I forgot about the woman with the Guinea worm.
A full moon rose that night, and as I sat by the dying campfire watching it, I thought about how that same full moon would soon be shining on a Walmart parking lot in Oklahoma.
Because I’ve never gone on an organized tour of anything, I have to ask if it is even remotely possible to have an evening as interesting as the one I just described?
😂 tough to experience anything quite like that when you’re getting hustled back onto a tour bus, I think!
I kept a picture on my office wall of one of our South Sudan Landcruisers (they’re not just for going to the mall anymore) sunken in a mud hole up to the windows, with the caption, “Why the report was late.”
I’m not sure how that would work in a tour bus. Caption: “Why the tourists turned into cannibals.”
I'm going to go out on a limb here and say...probably not. I've had some pretty amazing adventures, but guinea worm removal and cow dung honoring tops them all. ;)
I mean, isn’t travel supposed to be different from back home?