No Travel Plans, No Itinerary. I Travel Like a Psychopath.

I keep trying to write this post, but I still haven’t found the right way to explain how I travel. Probably because there isn’t a right way, there’s just my way. Basically, I throw some clothes in a backpack, grab way too many phone chargers, and take off. That’s it. No planning, no itinerary, no care of where I end up. 

Sometimes it’s just a state or three away and I’m home within 24 hours. Sometimes I end up on one coast or the other for a weekend. Almost every other month I’m heading somewhere. Here’s what I’ve learned so far.

You Can Travel a Long Way in 24 Hours

I never used to think I’d drive three states over and still make it back home before the next sunrise. Sure, I’d done long one-way trips like driving 12 hours up to the Northeast to work for a month. But doing 600+ miles just to hang out for a few hours and then turning around? That’s a special kind of stupid. But, it was fun.

Other times I’ve flown to the West Coast on a Friday and been back by Sunday like it was nothing.

I’d rather fly than sit in a car for 12 hours. But some of the funniest moments of my life happened in the car with friends. Plus, the highway is a freak show if you pay attention.

I’ve also learned that sleep deprivation is basically a myth. You can go way longer without sleep than you think. Add a prescription Adderall and suddenly you’re a long-haul trucker with God-tier focus.

I used to think everything was so far away. Now I feel like I can go anywhere at a moment’s notice.

The Best Destinations Aren’t in the Brochures

The craziest memories I have come from places nobody brags about visiting. Anytime I go somewhere it’s always some questionable part of the country and that’s where all the good stories happen.

I’ve stayed in clapped-out motels deep in the Missouri woods.

Got tattoos in hotel rooms.

Spent a weekend in a hotel overlooking Virginia Beach while Sublime played a concert down on the sand.

Raced down empty Oklahoma highways in the middle of nowhere.

Wandered shady streets in LA and slept on hotel couches just to be woken up and rushed to the airport.

Stumbled around events half drunk until a random acquaintance rescued me, fed me tacos, and threw me back in my hotel.

Killed time during layovers by exploring airports like I work there.

Got a tour of every Puerto Rican bar in a tiny Florida town because my Puerto Rican friends “knew a guy.”

Slept in the cargo area of an SUV somewhere in the middle of a cross-country drive.

Honestly, I enjoy the overlooked parts of the country more than the glossy tourist traps. The shiny places are great for taking the wife and kids. But I’m not a sit on the beach all day kind of guy. I want to wander around and find the real parts of a place preferably the parts you’re not supposed to see.

Making It Home

Even when a trip sucks, it still ends up being a good time. Tough moments make the best stories later. And that’s what I love about traveling like this. Showing up with no plan and seeing how much nonsense I can cram into 48 hours without ending up in jail.

I don’t know where my next trip will be. I have a few ideas, but no real plans. It’s been a couple of months since I’ve gone anywhere and I’m starting to itch for another trip.