(Kingston, Ontario, Canada)

Since returning to Kingston, a number of friends have commented on the fact that I really seemed to enjoy my trip to Ireland. It’s true – and one reason is the fact that I didn’t have months and months to plan for it. The spontaneous approach paid big dividends, as I didn’t feel like I had already visited Ireland before I had arrived there. Overplanning can be a very real problem.

I don’t recommend a complete absence of planning, however. The time of year, the weather, local holidays and a host of other factors should still be considered when “being spontaneous”.  It also would have been nice to avoid Saturday travel in Ireland, so that I could have caught a live hurling or Gaelic football match.  In any case, I’ve enjoyed my Gaelic football DVD and I am sure that I will return to Ireland in the not-too-distant future!

My visit to Ireland also helped me focus on what I want to do in the rest of my travel year.   While I won’t be returning to Ireland this year, I now have a pretty good idea about a trip that will likely take place in late November or early December.  It’s nothing that I anticipated at the start of my odyssey but it also won’t be a surprise to people who know me well.   It will definitely be a change from the sightseeing that has characterized most of my travel so far this year.

There is a lot happening between now and November, however.  I had a brief visit with some former work colleagues yesterday and I must admit that I’m really enjoying the element of suspense concerning my next destination (whether they share my enthusiasm for the mystery is less certain!).   I’m heading out on June 27 for a very different kind of trip and here’s what I’ve been telling people:

1)  I’m visiting a different continent this time:  it won’t be Europe or North America.

2)  I’m going there on my own but most of my visit will be as part of an organized tour.  It will take a total of 10 days, including travel.

3)  I’ve never visited this country before.

4)  I underwent a series of travel vaccinations over the past month, something that I haven’t done for travel since 1996.

As with Ireland, the decision to go on this trip was also relatively spontaneous.  I didn’t plan it until quite recently and I don’t think I identified it as a serious possibility when I first decided to take a year off for travel.   Perhaps as a result, I am really excited about it and am holding off on any more post-summer travel planning until I return.  I need to determine whether it is a type of travel that I want to explore further.

Intrigued?  Stay tuned – I leave in less than a week!