Travel Off Course started out as an idea for a travel blog, but it’s evolved into a life philosophy. I noticed that I travel very differently now than I did twenty years ago. After university, my travels were something to be conquered. To-do lists were created, and everything on that list was to be checked off before returning home. If all the boxes weren’t ticked, I did not consider the trip a success.
Over time, I held on to the proposed itinerary a little less tightly, because I discovered when I made the space for it, synchronicities happened. I found myself off the beaten path and having adventures I could not have imagined, let alone put on a to-do list.
These rich experiences changed the way I travel abroad and how I live my life at home. James Campbell wrote, “We must be willing to let go of the life we’ve planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us.” I think this is applicable to both travel and life. I still make plans and have to-do lists, but I hold them loosely and allow for something exceptional to take their place.