Travel is generally accompanied with well thought itineraries, maps full of highlights and lists of things
that must be seen. But the most memorable travelling’s never go by the book. At times, the best
moments can be when one gets lost on a detour, missed a turn or got off track. These mishaps bring
back the lesson that the road not taken is the best way of getting the real travel experience.
Getting Lost Is Beautiful
In an age where cell phones and mapping programs have put us on a path towards ultimate directions,
we no longer give ourselves the opportunity to just roam the earth. Being lost during travel however
does give access to things that one could not guarantee in a guidebook. An inattention to a sign could
result in a lovely village cafe. You may be left in an obscure beach by the wrong bus. A lost map could be
a happy accident that brings these people to talk to the natives who are willing to share their tales.
These improvised adventures remove the stress of preconceptions and enable us to really feel the spirit
of adventure- freedom, curiosity and discovery.
Justification of Wrong Turns as the best stories why?
Realness/Not Perfectionistic- Planned paths would have us stuck in tourist territory. But mistaken
directions of our trip send us to side-walks or a secluded bazaar, or an unexplored ruin.
Serendipitous Relationships - Sometimes a detour leads to encounters that open up a world of new
relationships like when families invite you to share a meal, craftsmen to learn their craft, or children to
lead the way through back streets.
Growth of a person- Going into unknown teaches resilience, adaptability and creativity. These are the
times when they can become life altering travels that define us.
Different Experiences Unique Stories- Although it is true that anyone could say that they went to a
landmark, it is true that it is unique to tell about how you happened on a midnight carnival, a secret falls
or a street banquet. These are the travelling surprises that linger to live in a lifetime.
Place Destinations Detours by Detours
Kyoto Backstreets, Japan - There is obviously more than temples and tourist areas to explore where you
can find narrow streets full of family-run tea stores, secret shrines and serene gardens. A mere mistake
can lead to the discovery of the cultural treasure.
Spain, Andalusia - Duke it out in zig-zag roads of Seville or Granada. Diversions in this area include
taking into unexplored surprises of flamenco performances in hidden courtyards to the old Moorish
buildings.
The Sacred Valley in Peru - Straying off the main Inca Trail can often produce smaller villages in which
the Quechua traditions have flourished. These locations provide raw experience, which has not yet been
spoiled by mass tourism.
New Orleans, USA - Hitchcock off the Bourbon Street and you will find jazz-stuffed corner, local markets
and soulful street art- nothing can be as serendipitous as a city can be.
Chiang Mai, Thailand- Off of the typical tourist attractions, there are side roads which lead to the jungle
paths, hill tribe villages and riverside temples. Developing countries in the trip are full of travel
surprises.
The Way to Enjoy Pit stops on the Way to the Wrong Place
Trust the Process- Do not panic when things break or take the path that leads to detours, rather look at
it as an opportunity. They usually say that among the best travel experiences there are the ones when
things go wrong.
Be Inquisitive- Seek suggestions to locals. Little dialogues can bring forth potential knowledge you
cannot get when going online.
Travel at Your Slowness- Allow yourself to crawl along by-streets and alleys. The slower you are, the
higher chances you have to face the real local experiences.
Write Down the Surprises- You can keep a sort of a journal or photos of your road trip excursions. They
tend to make the most empowering passages of your experience.
The andante of Inadvertent Travel
It is somehow cathartic to lose control. Once we leave room in our travel plans to some uncertainties,
anybody of the corners is actually an adventure. A song of a street musician, a ruined castle forgotten, a
sunset behind an hitherto unnoticed hill can alter our perception of the world.
It is not about the way you lost but a new one to find. These are experiences and they remind us that in
travel wrong turnings frequently prove the right turnings of the heart.
Final Thoughts
Travel does not always mean checking and accomplishing. It is the tales we gather in the process, and
usually they all start with a wrong turn. Be it a missed bus, a miss-read map, or a whimsical diversion, at
these instant we have time to explore, to live life, to experience the unknown that lives in adventure.
Consequently, when you are in the wrong lane next time, do not hurry to get out. Breathe, take a sight
and take a step into the unknowing. Some of the best travel surprises are not in the map, but in-
between the wrong turns, and that is the reason why.
