"A good traveler has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving." (-Lao Tzu)

When I travel for work, I am ruled by a pretty rigid, set schedule, and I have places I need to be at very specific times. I fly and/or drive almost every day, and I live by the dictates of my calendar on the road.

My most memorable personal travel experiences, however, have typically been the results of serendipitous moments I haven’t anticipated or planned in advance. While I usually set a general agenda for things I’d like to see on trips, my favorite kind of travel, unlike some people, is when I can just sort of venture out and discover new haunts with no particular destination in mind.

The Netherlands are teeming with pristine, enchanting canals, but I also discovered, there, little restaurant boats perched in the canals where you can sit and people-watch on the waters as you dine. Sometimes, just turning a corner yields the most delightful surprises, and they’re even lovelier when these encounters are spontaneous.

In Italy, I wound up having dinner in a villa that was featured in the movie “Much Ado About Nothing” in the beautiful Chianti wine region of Tuscany. Venetian canals appear like intricate mazes, and I relished the views I had at every twist and turn of the buildings.

Similarly, I planned and went on a fascinating trip to Pompeii, and then because of sheer geographic proximity, decided I had to see Capri and Anacapri, where the scenery was breathtakingly beautiful. I enjoy everywhere I’ve gone, but I am always amazed at how much more a trip touches me when I find the unexpected treasures that are everywhere if I allow myself to be open to them.

“Travel is more than the seeing of sights; it is a change that goes on, deep and permanent, in the ideas of living.”

(-Miriam Bird)