We plan the route and miss the travel.
The itinerary says: be here at 10, be there at 2. The detour says: get lost for an hour, talk to the person who waves you over, follow the small street because of the smell of bread.
The detour is not a mistake. It is where travel actually happens.
The planned route gives you photos. The detour gives you stories. Photos fade. Stories stay.
Practice it on your next trip, even a short one:
- Leave one hour unplanned. No map, no goal. Walk and notice what notices you.
- Say yes to one invitation. Tea, a market, a wrong bus that looks interesting.
- Collect one story, not one souvenir. Ask someone how long they have lived here and what has changed.
You will not remember the museum you rushed through. You will remember the alley where you got lost and found something you did not know you were looking for.
The detour is the destination — if you let it be.
