I have always loved to travel. My first memory of a really big trip was driving from my family's home in south eastern Michigan to Florida to visit my aunt and go to Disney World. It was Christmas time and I think it was 1974. I was nine.

We had traveled around Michigan all my life. My dad had a job as a project manager with a large company and we moved frequently. At the time of the big Florida trip I had lived in four different cities and we were always going for the weekend to visit relatives or friends, but this was the first big one. We were leaving the state for the first time in my memory. We were going to stay in (Oh joy and rapture!) motels along the way. There would be swimming pools and food on the road I couldn't wait!

By the time this trip was done, there were enough stories of misadventure to fill my memories for years to come. As family vacation disasters go, this trip had a few doozies, but I really only remember that it was fun. Maybe I'll talk more about this particular trip later, but for now I'll just use it as my personal introduction to traveling by the seat of your pants. I'm not suggesting that my parents were unprepared for this trip. They had plans and contingencies in place, but the planning was more of a loose frame work than a rigid structure.

This type of vacation planning has set the tone for my travel ever since. I have taken trips which were, by necessity, thoroughly planned. Sixty five teenaged singers, between 14 and 19 years old, traveling across 5 countries in Europe, must be occupied and accounted for at every moment. However, I have also taken trips which were much more loosely planned. We knew when we flew into Frankfort and when we flew out. We didn't know anything else in advance, and I have to say, that trip holds some the fondest memories.

Now, obviously, some things must be planned in advance. Some day I would love to attend the Olympic Games, and I certainly wouldn't stop my planning at booking flights into the city. But when you can leave yourself room to take advantage of the opportunities which can't be foreseen, you have the makings of the perfect adventure.

It takes a bit of confidence to venture boldly forth into the unknown, especially in a foreign country, but confidence can be gained by knowledge. I always try to learn a bit about the places I'm going. I read about the culture, local attractions and customs. Learn the etiquette, how to say please and thank you and at least try to speak the local language.

For example, in Germany I knew that we wanted to look for Gast Hofs. We would compare them with Bed and Breakfasts here, but they are much more common in Germany. You find one in a city where you want to stay for the night, knock on the door and ask, "Haben Sie eine zimmer frei fur heute nacht? (Have you a room free for today's night?) Then you let the adventure begin as you negotiate the cost of the room having exhausted most of your language skills in the first sentence. Your room could be "mit Frühstück" (with breakfast(German breakfast...Yummm)), or "ohne Dusche" (without a shower). You might even eat dinner with the family!

I know that for many people, this totally freeform trip would be totally stressful, but I urge everyone to give themselves a little bit of freedom. When you plan a trip, leave yourself room for an adventure. Plan those aspects of the trip you need to in order to feel safe and secure, but only as much as you have to. You can plan hotels, rental cars etc., even book things that you know you want to do that may have limited options on short notice like tickets to a show or attraction, but leave yourself a day where you have nothing planned and you can just "play it by ear." Before you know it you'll be improvising whole vacations on the fly.

As I said before, I love to travel. It is my goal to travel the world as a profession. If you'd like, you can go here to visit my website and see pictures of some of our recent trips. Feel free to take a look around. Maybe we'll see you around the world sometime.