The Joys of ‘Sudden Journeys’

Travel Blog  •  Jim Benning  •  04.27.07 | 2:39 PM ET

imageWho among us hasn’t, on a whim, taken off on a completely unplanned trip and had the time of our life? National Geographic Traveler celebrates just those sorts of “sudden journeys” this month. The Web site has anecdotes from 25 travel writers, from Pico Iyer and Holly Morris to Rolf Potts and yours truly. I recalled the time I convinced my wife to join me on a spontaneous snowboarding road trip to Park City, Utah. It took a little time. I wrote: “I watched, bemused, as Leslie passed through the four requisite stages of spontaneous travel co-conspiring: refusal (‘Are you crazy? We have things to do’); bargaining (‘How about next month?’); doubt (‘The place is probably all booked up so close to New Year’s Eve’); and finally, my personal favorite, gleeful acceptance (‘Wheeeeeeeeee!’).”