When I first got started working with magazines back in the mid-nineties, I was doing quite a bit of traveling around the southeast. Driving from town to town provided ample opportunities to meet people of many different walks of life. One day I might find myself in a chicken house antique shop on a backroad in Carrollton, Georgia, rummaging through a box of dusty, leather-bound, pre-Civil War books, and on another day I might be pulled over on a gravel patch next to Lake Eufaula to take a few casts at a largemouth bass and chat with a local before zipping off to sell an advertisement based on some random concept that I thought up while changing lures. Being on the road has always had a way of making me think. There was always someone somewhere with a story to tell that made me feel at home wherever I happened to be.
When people travel with an open mind and open spirit, they can learn a lot from not only those on similar flights of fancy, but also those who are “in their place.” As many of you may recall, there was no GPS on the market twenty years ago. I took the fullest advantage of getting lost on my journeys, and I typically built time for it into my schedule. Being on the road has always meant more to me than being in transit. Being on the road was to be in the moment, to see the sights, to get distracted, to get lost while finding. People are what make communities, towns, and cities. It’s a combination of their individual styles, their history, and their stories.
As you gear up for travels on the road this spring, prepare yourself, and even your family, to be open to new experiences. Of course, I’m not suggesting anyone intentionally miss a flight reservation or run late for a cruise; however, that would be a fun prank to play on the family if you think you would survive it. I would like to suggest some spontaneity, something off the spreadsheet and timeline of the tightly woven vacation schedule. As hard as it can be these days to get lost on a map, by opening our eyes to new and unplanned adventures, we possess the opportunity to get lost in the moment. Plan some time to be unplanned. May new discoveries find their way into the path, heart, and memories of you and your fellow travelers. Drive carefully, and enjoy the ride.
to your business!