The opposite of a schedule

There's a spreadsheet somewhere saying I should be far from where I am right now

I’ve been wearing a watch since I was a kid. I’ve brought my two favorite watches on this trip, and they are in sync with each other, to the exact second. Before having a professional calendar was really a thing, I was already using it to remember things like things to do, places to be, automated payments, deadlines and milestones. It gives you a very accurate picture of what I’ve done and where I’ve been over the past years.

I like to know what time it is, when things happen, when I need to be in a specific place. Having a plan gives me a sense of control that helps and make me feel relaxed, somehow.

I’ve been on the road for roughly two weeks and all of that doesn’t matter as much as it used to. Before leaving, I prepared a ten-days itinerary that would take me to Ko Lipe, with the intention to get back on the land, after staying on that island for a short week. From here, my research told me I had different boats and planes potential combinations that could take me to Bangkok, way up north.

I cancelled all the booked hotels while I was in Phi Phi, and I’m now writing from Koh Lanta, where I decided to stop for a while, and even extend my stay for a couple of days, just because I like it here. Life feels a bit slower here and that’s what I think I want. There’s way less people here than in the first two places where I stayed. I kinda have an entire beach for myself, just a short walk from my hotel. Yesterday I did nothing except getting an iced coffee and a thai massage, while listening to the sound of the waves. I would have missed it if I stuck to the plan.

I’m unlikely to reach Koh Lipe anytime soon, and will eventually get to Bangkok at some point, but my next stop will be a place that wasn’t even on my radar until last week. The sales person who gave me my boat ticket at the pier mentioned it during our short conversation, and wasn’t even pushing hard for it. Without much research I want to give it a try, just to see what it’s like. While waiting for the boat to arrive, I booked an hotel in this place for a couple of days, and immediately looked into where I could potentially go next from here. I had to fight my planner instinct very hard, but I have accepted not knowing how I’ll get there, and where I’ll be sleeping in four days.

Some companies have coined the term slow travel and while I have conflicting feelings about it being a business value proposition tied to remote working, I think I get what it’s about: it’s the opposite of a schedule. It’s the opposite of every trip or holiday I’ve ever been on. I can’t help but feel very fortunate to be able to travel slower (and not even work remotely during this time).

I took my watch out as soon as I checked in here, and haven’t put it back on my wrist. I’ll probably put it back on when I’ll need to make sure I’m on time to catch my next boat. But not before.