Nancy

Recently in Italy my friend and I were staying in Sorrento, when one day we decided to change plans, skip going further south, and head north to Florence instead. We booked the train, called a hotel and took off. <BR>Do any of you do this? Is the outcome usually good?

Jason

Nancy<BR>I change nearly every travel plan I make.Sometimes I am alone on business and sometimes I'm with friends on pleasure.For a guy whoze pantry and fridge are alphabatized,I seem to do well when I decide to fly by the seat of my pants.Sometimes,I get &quot;looks&quot; from hotel clerks,like &quot;you just decided to come to Paris this morning??&quot; but they get over it.Works for me.<BR>Jason

Jane Bows

I like to do spur of the moment changes on trips, it is a kind of like a running away from home feeling that you get by not following a sked rigidly.<BR>I have skipped whole cities, cancelled reservations and taken off in a different direction due to weather or meeting up with new found friends.

Frances

The first ever trip my husband and I took together we planned for about 11 months.We went off for a month on Inter-rail and were heading to Greece via Vienna.In Vienna we had to queue for seat reservations and my husband got into conversation with a lady behind him who had just come up from Greece on the train we were planning to take.She told him that the journey was a nightmare- no water on the train(I think the journey was about 46 hours)and consequently the toilets were foul.<BR>He pulled out of the queue and told me we weren't going. <BR>Having thought about it we caught a night train out to Copenhagen instead and finally about a week later ended up in Finland.We hit a heatwave in Stockholm on the way where it was 90degrees.<BR>The only potential hitch was the morning after we left Vienna when we pulled into Hamburg and didn't have any german currency and couldn't buy food. The train was due to stop for 30 minutes and so I said I would go into the concourse and change some money.As i got to the top of the escalator I saw our train pulling out with my husband (as he now is) and my passport and all my possessions going with it!<BR>I ran down the up escalator and after the train and managed to get on it.It pulled a couple of hundred yards out and then reversed back in to another platform.I would not have found it!<BR>Anyway after that digression, my advice is go with it.

mj

<BR>Does going to Europe for 2-3 weeks with nothing more than luggage, a return ticket and a rental car count?<BR><BR>That's the only way we travel (to Europe) and it's always worked out wonderfully.<BR

Bob

My wife and I have done numerous trips where we only booked the R/T ticket to Frankfurt and a rental car. <BR><BR>We still laugh about the first time we did this. I got into the car at the airport and said &quot;Okay, now which way do we go?&quot;. <BR><BR>The trip turned out great and we met some nice people along the way. It kept us flexible and we stayed in a few towns longer because we enjoyed them so much. Every day was our own and we had no agenda to adhere to. This made it quite relaxing.<BR><BR>Now it we go with friends all has to be planned and that does take some of the relaxation out of it. The best time to do a no-plan trip is winter. Plenty of hotels to choose from and they all want to see you. This is a great time to see Europe without the crowds. What you give up in sunlight and weather you pick up in ambiance and no tourist busses.

Sheila

Not as such. But I often go without a plan

Leean

I dont know how you an relax not knowing where you will be staying, you all must be very young or backpackers.

orgy7

Always.. and would not have it anyother way.. I can't stand being locked into anything in my life..

Sheila

I resemble that remark!! I'm 45, and have only ever backpacked once

Holly

I did this in '96. Sitting in my room in Innsbruck, wondering which direction to head next. Remembered someone from work said to see Venice if at all possible. So I went to Venice for a weekend. Been back every year since.<BR><BR>And, no, I woundn't consider myself &quot;young&quot; as implied above. And I've definitely never been a backpacker.<BR><BR>By the way, great story, Frances!<BR>

Lynn

I have changed plans every trip I've made to Europe (except one, where all hotels were reserved in advance) and I much prefer to be more spontaneous. I'm not a backpacker and not &quot;young&quot; by most people's definition (okay, I think I'm young, but I am over 50). Not having a fixed itinerary allows me to decide on the spur of the moment to travel to where the weather is better or to linger in some place that I find to be very special. I have to be very organized and schedule-driven in my work life - I certainly don't want my travels to be the same way.<BR><BR>The only time I've gotten into trouble was on my last trip when I failed to recognize a two-day holiday in Europe (I thought it was only one day) and I did have a bit of a problem finding a hotel. However, I only had to drive 50 minutes to get to a hotel with a vacancy. <BR><BR>There are so many places that are special to me that I didn't plan to see - and I'm glad that I could be spontaneous to take the opportunity.

Linda

I have two girlfriends who picked up their rental car and said &quot;Okay, which way has sunshine&quot; (I think it was March) and that's they way they went. They kept following patches of sun for two weeks and had a fantastic time!

Graziella

All the time. Mainly we follow the good weather.

Faye

I find free wheeling is the most enjoyable way to travel. We drove around Italy this way years ago and went from north to south to east to north again. And yes, we were following the sun too.