How I got it wrong:

When I first started planning our trips to Europe, I kept my goals of what I wanted to accomplish and see, at the forefront of the planning.  My checklist was the be-all, end-all of the entire vacation.  Uber organization = seeing everything.  Makes sense, right?

I was wrong.

My fiance is of the opposite type of philosophy.  He doesn’t want every minute to be planned out to the last detail.  I am not used to this concept.  I didn’t want to let go of my super-important, must-see/must-do list...

...Until a funny thing happened...in fact, many funny and interesting things just...happened when I let go (a little!), and allowed life to unfold naturally.  

It is in these off-plan moments, that we breathe deeper, let go of the tension, and really experience everything around us.  And I don’t just mean when you reach the summit or the peak of your foray in nature.  Take this type of attitude with you during a tour, or the sidewalks of the big city, or the exhilarating back roads of your countryside trek.

Take the time to ‘kick the can’ on your journeys.

There are so many random, beautiful moments to absorb on your daily excursions...some of these you may be missing in your zeal to cross another site off of your list.

So, don’t miss out on the forest because you are consumed by the trees!  

  On your next trip, take a few extra moments to speak to the person standing in line next to you, or the barista preparing your latte, or stop for a minute on your way to your destination to view the world around you, either at a 180 or a 360 degree angle.  

Just.feel.the.moments.

You never know what cherished (or hilarious!) moments you may experience along the way.

~~~To celebrate this concept and give some examples, I will occasionally post vignettes and/or photos about unexpected times that we have spontaneously enjoyed along the way.~~~