Adventure made easy, one trip at a time
Somewhere over Nevada, a retired schoolteacher changed how I plan every trip. This is a collection of spontaneous wisdom from five strangers I met at 30,000 feet — and why seatmates might be the most underrated travel resource in America.
I handed my weekend over to total strangers on the internet — destination, meals, even what went in my bag. Here's what went gloriously wrong, what went surprisingly right, and how to run your own 'planned by strangers' experiment.
Got a layover, a quick work trip, or just one precious day in a new city? This repeatable framework helps you skip the tourist traps and eat, wander, and caffeinate like a local — with worked examples for Savannah, Santa Fe, and Portland.
Think you need a big bank account to have a big adventure? These seven US weekend escapes each come in under $500 — with the receipts to prove it. Grab a friend, pick a direction, and go.
I stuffed everything I needed for a 14-day trip into a single carry-on — and I'm never going back. Here's the exact strategy, the gear that earned its place, and the honest list of what completely failed.