But I thought you loved planning.
I’m good at planning, and I do this for a living. What I love, and think is a constant motivator, is seeing how something I planned impacts people. I enjoy comparing how the plan was mapped out in my head compares to how it actually turned out. For those who know me best, when I plan something, I don’t usually enjoy it because it’s completely exhausting and I put all my heart into getting an experience right for other people.
So left to my own devices for vacation, I will always pick something like an REI tour group to join. When my creative brain is completely exhausted by work, I just need a minute where I don’t have to think, get buy in from friends, or negotiate any plans. And I’m happy just to go along with whatever someone else wants to do (provided it’s not too jam packed with activities) and feed off their excitement.
But with the pandemic, these pre-planned group adventures are missing and I needed to pivot to solo adventures. For this kind of trip I love a spontaneous adventure with some loose details, so there are no expectations (even my own) to live up to. I’ll usually pick a place and figure out what I’ll do there later. When you free your mind from expectations and keep the bar low, almost anything you do will be enjoyable.
This time I decided the night before that I would use TikTok decide the fate of my day, and honestly it was kind of great. Here’s what I did:
- Open TikTok
- Type in Santa Barbara
- Watch the videos
- Do the things
- Profit
From this I found:
- The gorgeous and delicious Helena Bakery
- A nice breezy walk on Stearn’s Wharf
- An hour of Therapy, at Cat Therapy
- Turkish at Lokum delight IS delicious despite what some podcasters say
- And small delicious cheap taco places are my jam, at Lilly’s taqueria
Was a beautiful and relaxing day. Would definitely try this technique again.
