Travel tips from Adventure Girl, Ashley Welton
By Ashley Welton, GoGirlfriend Contributor
Put your guidebook down and look up!
How many information preparation junkies do I have out there?
I'm going to let you in on a little secret that will not only help you in your travels, but in your life as well. If you sojourn with an 
open mind, your ability to realize 360 degrees of awesome along the way increases dramatically. When you travel with the inspired spirit of adventure, 30 years down the road you'll still be telling the story about that time you took an leashed panther for a walk in the Peruvian rainforest.
How do you do it?
Here's the secret ...
Realize you will never know enough.
Let me say it again.
You will never know enough. Which is to say, your maniacal trip preparation won't prevent the unexpected from happening. Besides, the magic lies in the unexpected.
It's wonderful to be a font of information, a sponge for facts, but no guidebook or historical text will prepare you for the experience of simply being in a place. Stop trying to control your journey with compartmental knowledge.
Plan for adventure before you leave home
Yes, read up on your future destination. Let it excite you. But don't get so locked into the research that you believe you know exactly what you should do, where you should go, and in what time frame.
You will never know everything about a place because things are in constant flux. Sure, it's exciting to be an information sponge while you're preparing for a journey, just wring yourself out before you leave home because a saturated sponge can't absorb water.
If you already know what you're going to see and all the nitty-gritty details about it, what's the fun of embarking on the experience?
Plan for experiences while you're traveling
For heaven's sake, put the book down. Look around you. Ask questions. Interact with people (oh my gawd, people). They're your best source of inspiration on what to do.
Then, when you're snuggled safe in the hotel room, write down what you've learned that day. Facts are funny things. If you don't keep them safe they evaporate like water in the Mojave.
Have fun choosing the knowledge and experiences that get stashed in your brain. After all, those who write the guidebooks have already acquired their own adventure; don't you want to dictate the terms of yours too?
What's your favorite unexpected travel experience? Find us on Twitter or Facebook and let's start talking!
About Ashley Welton
Ashley Welton hails from Hawaii and delights in working with businesses to uncover and translate their brand through action inducing copy that inspires, converts, and ignites a sense of adventure in all who come across it.
Ashley is an expert story-teller, connection creator, and exalts in helping companies succeed. When she's not having an intimate dinner with her thesaurus, she dedicates time to surfing, traveling, exploring and the general outdoors.
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