Package Holidays with Bruce Lee

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How spontaneous should a round the world trip be? I was speaking to a guy at work who believes in flying by the seat of his pants. No bookings, little research, just go and see what the world throws at you. On the other hand another person I know can’t go to Tesco without planning every precise detail from the route to take there to the brand of baked beans they’ll buy.
Does no planning make you a free spirit - a real traveller, or does it limit your journey by forcing you into scouring cities for accommodation late at night, queuing at embassies for Visa’s or accepting expensive transport when you could have got a travel card if you’d booked in advance? On the other hand does too much planning turn your journey into a package holiday, restricted to certain routes, dates and experiences by hotel or transport bookings? The obvious answer is that there has to be a little of both; planning that allows for flexibility. Unfortunately, the science behind this balancing act is something I can’t quite get to grips with.
This manifests itself in an approach to project management best described as “half-baked”.
Those of you who have had the pleasure of working alongside me at any of my previous employers may have had the opportunity to witness this style first hand, though I think it is best illustrated in my approach to all things DIY. Three years just to paint a hall the size of a walk-in wardrobe is a fine example. I finished three quarters of it within a week but just never got round to the rest of it until we had to rent out the flat.
No matter what the project the starting point is usually the same. It begins with exceptionally high levels of enthusiasm and confidence. Research will be done, instructions followed precisely, extravagant or ambitious alternatives considered, weighed up and accepted. The approach is methodical, considered and nerdy. I say nerdy because in most cases it involves excessive use of Microsoft Excel to calculate budgets, calendars etc. In the case of our world trip there are a number of complex spreadsheets involved which include a day-by-day guide, a full listing of possible accommodation in each country and endless train, ferry and bus prices. I even have formulae that convert currencies, work out what day it is and calculate the time spent travelling. Oh, and I have temperature and historical weather charts for each destination.
However, this all or nothing nerdy approach eventually hits the “can’t be arsed” barrier. This is equivalent to “the wall”; the pain barrier that marathon runners meet after a certain distance. It is recognisable by a complete lack of interest in a particular project, a failure to acknowledge that the second part even exists or, more often, the beginning of a new project leaving the old one to fester.
In the planning for our trip around the world, this barrier has fallen. But its nothing to do with lethargy or lack of interest, it is simply that there is so much that can be planned, that I haven’t even considered any further than a certain point. So while the first part of our journey - Edinburgh to Osaka - has been the subject of serious amounts of research, hotel and hostel booking and general information gathering, part two of the trip has fallen off the radar and has been left to fate. I like to think that if part one of our journey represents the well planned and orchestrated “package” part of our trip, part two is straight from the Bruce Lee guide to project management: “be like water”. We might go here. We may go there. Either way, the whole journey will be much like my packing: every item of equipment and clothing will be carefully selected and folded before being stuffed unceremoniously into my rucksack. Organised chaos; just the way I like it.

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Photos

Friend to the Stars
Melonie Griffiths dropped by on Saturday.

Orry
Our friendly neighbourhood cat likes to drop by every now and then.

Warning
Pick-pockets operate on these beaches.