Although both my wife Glenna and I have reminisced about the car trips we used to enjoy with our families when we were growing up, we had never taken one together. I’m happy to report that we took our first one a few weeks ago and thoroughly enjoyed it! (Well, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Glenna merely enjoyed it.) But for me to enjoy a journey of any type, it needed to have a purpose, such as a specific destination or theme. The theme for this trip was what I deemed The Washington State Periphery Tour with the primary objective being to see parts of the state we’d never seen before. The secondary objective was to confirm that certain parts of the state I hadn’t seen for decades were as spectacular as I remembered.
Both objectives were achieved! I finally got to see the famous Palouse wheat country. Growing up working on wheat farms in the Midwest, I had always heard about these immense croplands, so it was beyond high time that I see them for myself. Unfortunately, they had all been harvested a couple of weeks earlier, but even the golden stubble was beautiful and impressive. And Palouse Falls was almost surreal. Up north, yes—the Pend Oreille area IS as beautiful as I remembered! And note to self: Take the time to hike in the spectacular North Cascades.
Were it just me, I’d have camped each night, but that isn’t how Glenna rolls, so every evening we discussed what we wanted to see the next day and how far we wanted to drive, then made motel reservations. That’s something else we’d never done—started a 10-day vacation without everything planned out and reserved. As you have probably heard me say, I was a planner by nature long before I became a Planner by profession. I used to wish I were more spontaneous, but looking back I think I have enjoyed more good experiences than I would have otherwise.
I know folks who prefer a more spontaneous, “free-spirited” lifestyle. I have had a lot of fun with people like that, even while realizing how different we are. I once had a roommate who said I was a “slave” to my plan and am glad to have heard that while I was young as it helped me be a planner yet remain flexible. (Turns out that even modern GPS equipment rarely accounts for temporary road closures…in this case, caused by wildfires!) “Plan for the best but be prepared for the worst” is a sound philosophy.
If you only want to hear more about our trip by all means let me know! I’d love to not only share more details, but pictures, too! Otherwise, brace yourself or get ready for the eye-rolling segue I’m sure you expect…I’ve ALWAYS thought of financial planning having many similarities to travel planning.
Life is a journey; a journey that requires financing…for planners AND non-planners alike. It is certainly true that people have different levels of capacity and/or resources, but experience (and common sense?) indicates that with a little effort and intentionality, planning invariably improves outcomes.
The Periphery of Washington State road trip plan started with a yellow highlighter on an old-fashioned paper map. I suppose we could have decided that morning to just hop in the car and drive…somewhere. (That’s pretty much the way many people handle retirement, believe it or not.) Every day of our road trip we encountered and accommodated unpredictable detours as well as unexpected opportunities, just like life. While plans can’t guarantee one will experience everything one hopes, there can be little doubt that outcomes will be better than they would have been otherwise.
Thematic Road Trip
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Although both my wife Glenna and I have reminisced about the car trips we used to enjoy with our families when we were growing up, we had never taken one together. I’m happy to report that we took our first one a few weeks ago and thoroughly enjoyed it! (Well, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Glenna merely enjoyed it.) But for me to enjoy a journey of any type, it needed to have a purpose, such as a specific destination or theme. The theme for this trip was what I deemed The Washington State Periphery Tour with the primary objective being to see parts of the state we’d never seen before. The secondary objective was to confirm that certain parts of the state I hadn’t seen for decades were as spectacular as I remembered.
Both objectives were achieved! I finally got to see the famous Palouse wheat country. Growing up working on wheat farms in the Midwest, I had always heard about these immense croplands, so it was beyond high time that I see them for myself. Unfortunately, they had all been harvested a couple of weeks earlier, but even the golden stubble was beautiful and impressive. And Palouse Falls was almost surreal. Up north, yes—the Pend Oreille area IS as beautiful as I remembered! And note to self: Take the time to hike in the spectacular North Cascades.
Were it just me, I’d have camped each night, but that isn’t how Glenna rolls, so every evening we discussed what we wanted to see the next day and how far we wanted to drive, then made motel reservations. That’s something else we’d never done—started a 10-day vacation without everything planned out and reserved. As you have probably heard me say, I was a planner by nature long before I became a Planner by profession. I used to wish I were more spontaneous, but looking back I think I have enjoyed more good experiences than I would have otherwise.
I know folks who prefer a more spontaneous, “free-spirited” lifestyle. I have had a lot of fun with people like that, even while realizing how different we are. I once had a roommate who said I was a “slave” to my plan and am glad to have heard that while I was young as it helped me be a planner yet remain flexible. (Turns out that even modern GPS equipment rarely accounts for temporary road closures…in this case, caused by wildfires!) “Plan for the best but be prepared for the worst” is a sound philosophy.
If you only want to hear more about our trip by all means let me know! I’d love to not only share more details, but pictures, too! Otherwise, brace yourself or get ready for the eye-rolling segue I’m sure you expect…I’ve ALWAYS thought of financial planning having many similarities to travel planning.
Life is a journey; a journey that requires financing…for planners AND non-planners alike. It is certainly true that people have different levels of capacity and/or resources, but experience (and common sense?) indicates that with a little effort and intentionality, planning invariably improves outcomes.
The Periphery of Washington State road trip plan started with a yellow highlighter on an old-fashioned paper map. I suppose we could have decided that morning to just hop in the car and drive…somewhere. (That’s pretty much the way many people handle retirement, believe it or not.) Every day of our road trip we encountered and accommodated unpredictable detours as well as unexpected opportunities, just like life. While plans can’t guarantee one will experience everything one hopes, there can be little doubt that outcomes will be better than they would have been otherwise.