Nothing is that important.
By that, I don’t mean that something is unimportant. I mean that NOTHING is as important as SOMETHING.
There’s going to be a lot going on during this trip. So much so that I’ve created a binder and Excel spreadsheets just to keep it under control. Yet there’s a lot more downtime than it first appears.
First off, the trip is long (by American Standards, anyway). We can spread things out. We have more time to take in everything everywhere… just not all at once.
Plus getting from one place to another is quite a lot of time (10-hour flights, 5-hour train rides, etc.)
Downtime is very important. It helps us reflect while we recharge. It leaves room to change plans, to try out that new local place… or to spend time with new friends. If the Teens want to chill in, I’ll head over to the gallery again to enjoy the experience again.
Unstructured time is nice too.
While I’m really looking forward to the tours that we’ve booked, having to be somewhere at an exact time adds a level of stress that can pinch a good vacation. Not having to be somewhere else is wonderful!
As I block out the time in yet-another-spreadsheet, it’s nice to discover how balanced it is… structured time, unstructured time, and travel time.
Nothing is better than that.
