The Involuntary, Unplanned Vacation Guide

Here are some things I learned this past week during my involuntary, unplanned vacation. They may help you in planning your next vacation – or better yet, in not planning it at all.

1.    Keep an eye on global volcanic activity

When I think of all the trips I’ve taken over the years without remembering to check the volcano forecasts before my departure… well, I was due for a fall. Lesson learned.

2.    Pay attention to those connecting cities

Returning to America from a work trip to Africa, my itinerary took me through Amsterdam. So I thought, it’s a famous city, why not stop over there – I’ll take a day to walk around, and a night in a hotel to recover from the overnight flight from Tanzania. Not sure I’d have made the same choice if my connection was through, no offense, Detroit. Or Baghdad.

3.    Be careful what you wish for

The city was stunning. I enjoyed my day walking around Amsterdam so much that I wished I had one more. On Thursday evening, I called the airline to ask if I could bump my departure back a day, to Saturday. But the Saturday flight was full.

So on Friday morning I checked out of the hotel, and as I collected myself to leave, I mentioned to the desk clerk that I was heading to the airport. Surprised at my cluelessness, he replied that the airport was closed.

So I got that extra day there that I wanted… and three more after it.

4.    Be an explorer right where you’re staying

I loved my hotel, an assemblage of neighboring houses in the traditional Dutch style that had been assembled into a maze-like single hotel amidst the city’s beautiful canals. I loved it so much that I basically toured it, staying in five different rooms in my five nights there.

Each morning I’d check the news to see if the airport was reopening, learn that it wasn’t, and head down to the front desk to book myself for another night. Of course, many other people were extending their stays as well, so most of the days, I had to wait for a cancellation. So each morning I packed my bags, left them, and headed out for the day. At some point each day I got word that they had room for me that night, and when I returned later my bags had been deposited in a new room. And because every room was unique and cool, it was fun to see each new one.

5.    Travel light

Packing every morning wasn’t that fun, but if I’d been carrying a lot more with me, it would’ve been way worse. Travel light -- you don’t know how many times you’ll be squeezing that stuff back into your luggage.

6.    Be ready to go solo – whatever that means nowadays

I didn’t know a person in all of Holland, so for my five days there, I was entirely on my own.  It sounds rough – I usually get lonely traveling on my own. But not this time, and technology was part of the reason why. As I had my experiences exploring Holland, I was also emailing friends and family back home about them, and posting updates on Facebook (which elicited many responses from friends vicariously enjoying the experience with me).

I must admit I enjoyed the independence of exploring at my own pace, and the anonymity of being alone in the city. But being able to share it was part of the fun too. And I got some surprising replies – one friend used Facebook to send three restaurant recommendations, including street addresses!

7.    Be mindful of those experiencing great hardship

There’s no denying that for many people, it can be a great hardship to be stuck far from home. This past week, the ash cloud separated families, cost people their incomes, and generally brought high stress into many lives.

So if you were (or are) one of those people, I’m so sorry for the difficulty. You were on my mind… even as I had an absolute blast.

8.    Embrace the disruption

I didn’t choose to be there. I was free to feel guilty about not being at home or at work, but it was a waste of energy – until they opened the airports, there was nothing I could do.

And I could try to plan every day like I was at home, but it felt like that was missing the point a bit. I hadn’t done any research, I didn’t have any goals -- each day I set out with little more than a map to explore the city. Many of the best moments were ones I didn’t see coming.
So it was a fairly major disruption of my heavily planned, largely under my own control, life at home.

Now I’d like to have more of this kind of disruption.

9.    Embrace life at home when you return there

Of course, if you lived your life in a completely involuntary, unplanned way all the time, it’d be terrible. The best kind of vacation is one that’s great while you’re on it, and then great to come home from, appreciating your everyday life with new eyes.

So there you have a few suggestions. Have I gotten you fired up for your next involuntary, unplanned vacation?

Admittedly, waiting for the next conveniently placed eruption is a risky strategy. How about springing one on someone you know?

Or in other words… next time, BE the volcano.