avatarShawn Forno

Summary

An American couple's world trip takes an unexpected turn when they decide to stay in a Mongolian-style yurt in Ireland, illustrating the joy of spontaneous travel and the value of embracing the unplanned.

Abstract

The narrative describes how a couple's meticulous travel plans are upended when they impulsively choose to stay in a yurt in Ireland, despite the logistical challenges of renting a car and driving a significant distance. This experience leads them to appreciate the beauty of unpredictability and the transformative power of travel. They argue that over-planning can detract from the authenticity and excitement of exploring new places, suggesting that serendipitous travel can lead to more memorable and personal experiences. The couple emphasizes that the best travel stories often come from last-minute changes and the willingness to embrace boredom, failure, and surprise. They advocate for leaving room in one's itinerary for discovery, rather than following a predetermined checklist of sights and experiences dictated by social media and popular travel culture.

Opinions

  • The author believes that the best travel experiences are often unplanned and serendipitous, leading to more authentic and memorable moments.
  • Over-tourism is seen as a problem that dilutes the authenticity of travel experiences and harms unique destinations.
  • The couple values originality and personal discovery over conventional tourist attractions and the pressure to visit "must-see" places.
  • They suggest that social media and the influence of "travel influencers" can lead to homogenized travel experiences that lack personal significance.
  • The narrative implies that the fear of uncertainty should not deter one from embracing spontaneous travel decisions.
  • The author posits that travel planning should allow for flexibility and learning, rather than adhering to a rigid schedule based on surface-level research.
  • The couple sees value in the growth and adaptation that come from dealing with travel disruptions and unexpected events.
  • They encourage travelers to prioritize their own curiosity and creativity over the advice of self-proclaimed travel experts and to be open to new experiences, such as staying in an Irish yurt.

You Should Stay in an Irish Yurt

Why planning your trip ahead of time is a terrible idea

(Photo by Patrick Schneider via Unsplash)

“What about a yurt?” my girlfriend Lainey asked.

“A what?” I grunted as I scrolled through Airbnb listings on my phone. “Did you just say ‘yurt’?”

Yeah, a yurt. A Mongolian-style yurt,” she repeated as if that cleared things up. “I found a good one.”

“What if we stayed in a yurt?” she asked.

And just like that, our year-long trip around the world took a weird turn.

(Photo by Lough Mardal Lodge)

The Search for an Irish Yurt

“Yurt” isn’t a word you hear very often, at least not while looking for a last-minute place to stay in Ireland. So when Lainey spun her laptop around to show me the pictures, it took a few seconds for them to sink in.

But sure enough, she was right.

Those were some sweet yurts (yes, there were several options). They were even right next to a lake.

(Photo by Lough Mardal Lodge)

There was just one problem: The yurts were located near Donegal, on the northwest coast of Ireland.

And we were crashing with friends for a few days in Dublin.

“Hang on,” I said. “It’s like three hours from Dublin.”

Yup,” Lainey replied.

I scrolled down the listing. “It also says that the yurts are ‘accessibly remote.’ That means we have to rent a car.”

“Probably,” she agreed.

“So you want us to rent a car, drive three hours, stay in a yurt, then drive back to Dublin — ” I looked at the calendar — “…all in two days, to get back in time for our 14-hour flight to Singapore.”

Sounds about right,” she agreed.

Seconds passed, the silence broken only by the whir of her laptop’s overworked fan.

I laughed.

She laughed.

It was a truly terrible idea.

If even one thing went wrong — a flat tire, bad weather, trouble with the rental — it could derail the rest of our big trip.

And we both knew exactly what we were going to do.

Fifteen minutes later, we’d booked our yurt and reserved a (tiny) rental car.

And I was more excited about a trip than I’ve been in years.

How (Not) to Plan the Perfect Trip

(Photo by Capturing the Human Heart via Unsplash)

If you’ve ever taken an extended trip, you know that no amount of planning can prepare you for what happens once the trip actually starts. All of your meticulous research turn to shrapnel the second you land.

But, I’d argue it’s the snags you hit along the way that are actually the best part about travel. Because the unexpected leads to truly memorable moments.

There’s no way we could have planned to glamp in an Irish yurt on our trip around the world. Heck, Ireland wasn’t even on our list of potential destinations. And that’s the point.

Our yurt with its roaring fire and starlight roof was incredible. But the real reason we loved the experience so much wasn’t just a night in a beautiful place. It was the feeling of discovery and surprise. We had that “woah, we’re actually in a yurt right now” feeling.

I’d forgotten how much I like just going somewhere and finding out what happens.

Booking our yurt on the fly meant we didn’t have time to ruin the yurt with months of research and Instagram-fueled expectations. We just showed up — and loved it.

But that’s getting rarer every year.

Yes, an Irish Yurt Is Better than a Castle: Why Originality Beats ‘Authenticity’

(Photo by Aldo De La Paz via Unsplash)

When most people (*cough* Americans) picture Ireland, they imagine moss-covered stone castles, emerald green fields, quaint local pubs with nothing but Guinness, and glittering rainbows every 10 feet. And that’s fine. Ireland actually does have a lot of those things.

But that’s kind of the problem.

Planning a trip to iconic destinations like Rome, Paris, Iceland, or Tokyo is easier than ever. Heck, you can book the whole thing on your phone after scrolling through a few #wanderlust pics on Instagram.

But if you’re not careful you can spend your entire trip ticking off #mustsee places from some imaginary bucket list that someone else made for you.

And you deserve better than that.

(Photo via Wikicommons: Angkor Wat)

The worst part about this kind of mindless Instatravel is how even ‘authentic’ experiences get watered down to accommodate the tidal wave of tourists just looking for a selfie. And it’s taking its toll on unique and fragile places all over the world:

The list of overrun and overcrowded destinations goes on.

Weird Trips Come with Better Stories: Yours

Don’t get me wrong, Irish castles are impressive. There’s no substitute for centuries of history. By all means, if you’re into it you should wait in line to kiss the Blarney Stone. Go see the Book of Kells.

Heck, I visited the Bog Bodies exhibit at the Dublin National Museum of Ireland and it recontextualized my concept of Stone Age peoples in Europe.

I can tourist it up in my fanny pack with the best of them.

But the magic — the transformative impact — of these experiences fades when you have to wait in line for hours, pay over the top entry fees, or rush through attractions to stay ahead of massive tour groups posing for pictures.

Don’t believe me? Try to have an authentic moment at the Mona Lisa.

(Photo via Wikicommons: Mona Lisa)

Good luck.

I’m aware that glamping in an Irish yurt isn’t ‘authentic.’ Nor do I think that luxury off-the-grid travel is the answer to the over-tourism that’s crippling destinations around the world. I’m not an idiot.

But our night in the yurt wasn’t just original and memorable as hell. It also reminded me what I love about travel, and why I’ve been a frequent long-term traveler for the past decade.

Last-Minute Changes Are the Best Part of Travel

We live in an insanely connected world. I can’t tell you how many of my trips have taken an (awesome) left turn thanks to a DM out of nowhere or a well-timed email from a long-lost travel friend that spotted me online.

Social media doesn’t have to be the villain here.

Heck, some of my favorite trips have started because a friend reached out with a crazy idea.

I drove a rickshaw across India and managed a cash-only hostel in Rome because of an email.

It’s easy to build creativity — even serendipity — into your next big adventure. You just have to say yes when weirdness comes your way and leave a little room for things to happen in the first place.

Leave Room for Boredom, Failure & Surprise

I won’t lie to you — planning on the go doesn’t always produce awesome Irish yurts and free thermal hot pools in Spain. Our lack of a hard plans led to some stressful last-minute accommodation searches and a few sub-optimal travel days. Like the day we took five different modes of transportation.

It’s also not the cheapest way to travel (although you can find some great last-minute deals if you’re savvy and flexible with your dates).

But despite the extra potential expense and a dash of uncertainty, I wouldn’t travel any other way. Because at the end of the day, there’s a much greater cost to letting the fear of uncertainty motivate your trip planning months in advance: You miss out on a lot of great stuff.

I’m thrilled we didn’t know what we were doing in Ireland (or Spain for that matter). Because in the right doses, a little ignorance can be your greatest asset — as long as it spurs curiosity, enthusiasm, and creativity.

You’re Not an Expert (And that’s Okay)

Here’s something I learned a while ago:

I’m not that smart.

I try to keep up with what’s going on in the world around me. But even if I were a genius, I’d never be able to grasp more than surface-level details about the complex cities, cultures, peoples, landscapes, and history of places thousands of miles away from where I grew up.

So why on Earth would I think I can plan every step of an international trip after just a few days (or honestly, a few hours) of online research?

Reading a few travel blogs or watching travel ‘couple-fluencers’ on YouTube doesn’t make you an expert on any particular destination. It only prepares you to take the trip that (lots of other people) have already taken.

Travel plans that don’t leave any wiggle room for learning, growth, or discovery en route don’t guarantee a smoother trip. They just ensure a safer, more boring one.

You’re far less likely to discover the new places, amazing people, and memorable moments that make traveling worth your time when you always have somewhere else you need to be.

May You Travel in ‘Interesting Times’

(Photo by David Kovalenko via Unsplash)

I’m reminded of the often (misquoted) curse/blessing, “May you live in interesting times.”

It’s basically a backhanded way of saying, “I hope bad things happen to you.”

But I don’t know. I like the idea of living in interesting times. When things are going smoothly, nothing changes—including you.

Just like the real world, growth and adaptation can only happen when things get interesting.

Here’s a fun travel secret: Your trip will not go the way you planned, no matter how hard you try.

Even the best travel plans get derailed by flight delays, bad weather, transit strikes, random holidays, and closures. When you spend enough time on the road, you learn that ‘interesting’ quickly becomes your new normal.

Luckily, that’s when the fun stuff happens.

You Should Stay in an Irish Yurt

The world is a weird, ridiculous, terrible, wonderful, and often too-good-to-be-true place.

The best way to experience it is to get out there, make some mistakes, have some grand ideas, and roll with the punches when things don’t go as planned.

Don’t let someone else plan your trip—even ‘past you’! Some of the best moments happen when you least expect them.

And by all means, if you ever get the chance to stay in an Irish yurt, do it. You’ll be glad you did.

Travel
Adventure
Life Lessons
Mistakes
Planning
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