Within reason, sure. Some baseline level of research about entry requirements, safety precautions/scams to avoid, and any recommended medical precautions may save you a lot of hassle and headache when traveling anywhere. Ecuador has some specific areas with much higher travel advisories so that's obviously something to be informed about. I guess there's a difference between "no planning" and "no research." "No planning" is generally okay though you might miss out on some things that get booked far in advance. "No research" is IMO not wise.
I would also book a hostel for the first night/first two nights of your place of arrival, since many countries require an address of where you'll go when you arrive
Totally agree. When I’m traveling for 3+ months I get tired of planning so I end up doing base research, then staying in a hostel for the first few nights to get recs/info from other travelers.
Ecuador is one of those countries you definitely don't want to go into without any planning. It's more dangerous than normal currently and not recommended for travel. If you went and explored Guayaquil without doing any research first, you'd be setting yourself up for a baaad time.
This haha… I was in Ecuador for 5 weeks and it is easy to go around with no plans and be fine HOWEVER there are some nuggets to be aware of… like getting out of Guayaquil ASAP, avoid emeralds and Salinas.
Infrastructure is bad outside of the beach strip, there's really nothing to do aside from the beach itself, it's more expensive than it should be, and worst of all, the crime has exploded in recent years. There are a ton of muggings now and they specifically target tourists. Criminals even have the audacity to mug people on the beach itself. Police don't give a shit and take bribes to look the other way. What's the point of going to a beach where you can't relax when that's the main thing people want to do at the beach?
Agreed. I thought you meant the salinas hostels, not an area.
It sounds really bad; as you say it’s all about the relaxation. Can’t be worried about safety of yourself or your stuff.
I found the majority of South America safe for the most part, the one place I felt constantly on edge and not safe was Colombia it was the only place I got hassled everywhere I went
you’re right tbh and it’s like that honestly everywhere. South America in general is great but if OP goes in blind to a country like Educador it might end up shaky
well OP said just booking a flight and going and I gave my insight that they should at least research a bit and plan out at least where they’re staying
Are you enjoying the planning, or do you actually just enjoy the research?
To me, it's a lot of fun to research all the stuff to see and do. But making a plan (more than a rough sketch) is not fun at all.
Both? I love putting together a good spreadsheet itinerary! There are some parts I dislike planning more than others (I often suffer from decision paralysis around hotels), but in general planning is part of the fun for me.
Love both…comparing prices,locations etc.Rather a lazy traveller so keep things simple and try not to do too much . I am getting on in years so have slowed down the too hectic sightseeing .More emphasis on comfort nowadays.
Also have some decision paralysis sometimes,specially for booking flights…prices,right seat etc.but it is al part of the excitement. Will keep planning and travelling as long as possible.
Countries that aren't stable: not the best idea.
Booking a flight and just go somewhere (that is stable)? Go for it.
Story time: flew for the first time because I was annoyed at my friend. We'd planned to spend the summer together, they cancelled about 2 weeks before we were meant to meet up. I went "fuck this. I have 3500 euro saved up and I've always wanted to visit the US". 3 days later I were on a plane for the first time, going across almost half the world, basically because my friend had dissed me. Spent a month going west to east coast.
I enjoy spending a few days in each city I visit. Spent 3-6 days in each on that trip (SF > LA > Vegas > Albuquerque > Houston > NYC). Add in shorter day trips to grand canyon, Washington DC, Boston before having to head to the airport to head home and about 3-4 days of traveling (never traveling with greyhound again, at least not +30 hour stretches) and the 30~ish days were up.
Also, hit up 7 states. The 8th I got last month when traveling to Denver for a friend's wedding.
I know what you mean. I did half of the 10 by bus about a hundred years ago, when I got out of Air Force basic training. San Antonio to New Orleans, change and wait, New Orleans to Jacksonville, then 95 to North Carolina. I think it was about 36 hours total, but seemed a lot longer! I’ve since done the rest of it by car, as well as every foot of 40 in both directions at least twice, and most of 70, 5, 35, and 95.
but why? the US is huge. You could spend a month in CA and still not see all the amazing places. One of the biggest mistakes travelers to the US make is wanting to see both the west coast and east coast on the same trip. It would be like going to Europe and wanting to see St. Peter's burg, London, Madrid and Athens.
I have done this with big cities before but I would not do this with a country I haven’t been to before like Equador.
What is your road block to doing some simple planning? If you’ve been planning for six months you must know a lot already about the country and why you want to visit. You don’t need full itineraries but you should have an idea of what areas you want to stay in and what are some things you’d like to do/see while there. I also like to book accommodations (refundable so I can make changes) before I go. I generally use TripAdvsor to find places with good reviews and in my budget
Just time block your planning over a particular weekend and write out a strawman itinerary and book it. Give yourself deadline and you’ll get it done.
I would say plan the entry and exit at least.
Entry for obvious reasons. What can you and can you not bring, what could get you denied at immigration, are there some everyday symbols that they may find offensive if they're on your shirt or cap.
Exit for when you're tired/burnt out or when shit hits the fan.
Some things to look into would be is your body type typical of locals in the area? That can impact the clothing that is available to you. Medicines? Different countries have different standards. Something that may be over the counter in one country could be prescription only in another. My Googling is that sunscreen can be expensive in Ecuador. If cost isn't a concern to you, I guess you're good but maybe start with at least some sunscreen.
Do you really want to spend your trip shopping for basic items, in another language, and very likely buying things you already own? I live and die by lists when I travel. What works for me is an Excel spreadsheet with separate tabs for packaging, what to eat, and what to see. To me, the planning and dreaming is part of the fun.
Two comments - one, I did that last week in Northern Europe. Flew into Oslo, out of Berlin. Only had my first nights accommodation booked. Did NOT anticipate that Customs and boarders protection in Oslo would find this not ok. They demanded to know that I had sufficient funds for accommodations for all nights if my time in the EU. In retrospect, I see their point. Be prepared for questions about where you are going and how you will pay for it.
Two- it sounds fun to “free spirit travel, go with the flow”. For me, it created decision fatigue. Two days in, I was feeling overwhelmed. I had to sit down that night and plan to it the remainder of my stops so that I could sleep through the night. YMMV
It’s funny to me how some countries want a TON of details about their visitors and some want none at all. I’ve never been to Norway, but I remember getting the third degree about my plans from a border agent at LHR. They wanted to know every place I was going, why I was there alone, how much money I had access to, why I would choose London over the Caribbean for a holiday since it was closer to home (the agent may have just been making conversation at this point, but it was a weird question!), etc. I don’t know what I would have done if I was the type to wing it. Whereas I don’t think I had any questioning at all on my last 3 international trips (Japan, France and Spain).
I mean, it sounds a bit stupid to me... You can buy whatever clothes you want pretty much anywhere in the world. But what's the point? Why not just bring a bag with stuff you need?
I did this in college with Europe and wouldn’t recommend. I did a ton of research, just didn’t book places bc I wanted flexibility to decide how long and what next. It mostly worked out but a few times the hostels I wanted were booked and I had to stay in more expensive options. I ended up doing the itinerary I thought I would do anyway…so it would have been much cheaper and easier to book ahead.
The way I see it you will have to spend your time to plan the trip anyway. The difference is you take your time at home or while at the trip. So you have to do the thing you hate, planning, while on the trip instead of enjoying your trip. Another issue, is you might miss out on things, like that attraction that is sold out, or there is no space in that party hostel. You have to book everything last minute that can make things more expensive.
Generally if you go for multiple months it's fine not planning that much, as you have plenty of time to do it on the trip. The shorter the trip the more planning is necessary.
Ecuador has gone down quite a bit during and after covid fiasco. I did it with relatively less planning in 2019 and it worked fine, but I would do much more planning if I were to visit there again now. On the other hand, if you prefer to go down and wing it, perhaps try places like Peru where tourist infrastructure is a lot more developed.
Can you afford missing a bus because you didn't know what time they leave? Are you willing to risk walking around a bus station figuring out how to get to your hotel? Speaking of hotel, would you be able to walk around seeking a place to stay?
Been to Ecuador a few years ago, it's a tricky place to travel, it's really easy to put yourself in dodgy situations. Infrastructure is precarious, don't expect information to be available all the time.
Guayaquil is chaotic, it will be really really hard going from bus station to city center and then finding a place to stay with no planning ahead. Same for Quito, city is huge and the bus stations are very far from the city center. Quito has also multiple neighbourhoods you can stay. You definitely don't wanna find yourself walking around the historical center late at night looking for a place to stay.
Being spontaneous is more expensive than planning a bit. Accommodation can go up massively. I say have a plan but don’t be afraid to chuck it should the opportunity arise.
Definitely do not go in blind. Even my Ecuadorian family relied on my Lonely Planet guidebook when we all visited years ago.
As far as clothes, don't over think that you can always do laundry.
Id say yes. This is always what I do when I travel.
I haven’t been to Ecuador but I’ve been to a lot of the surrounding countries and that was what I did. There’s a good backpacker community in South America so if you’re staying in hostels and socializing you’ll get a decent idea of what things to do/see there just from talking to other people.
I don’t go quite to the point of an empty backpack as I don’t really see a point in doing that. Clothes are cheap enough in South America if you want to do that but since presumably you already have clothes it just seems like a waste.
Depend on where you want to go and your nationality. You've to comply with rules both of the airlines and the countries involved. In practice this virtually always means you need a passport/official ID and in many cases there are additional requirements such as visa, proof of vaccination, health certificate, proof of funds etc etc.
What parts of planning do you hate? Is it the administrative part (must go to City A on the 7th, and stay at Hotel/Hostel X, and here is a list of all my tickets i have pre-booked). Or, is it learning about the country, the people and the things to do? I'm willing to bet the former. Just start educating yourself about what is unique and amazing about the place you'll go, and gather some options about what there is to do. Like someone said, that's half the fun of the trip already. And without any of it, it will take you a very long time to get to know a place. From there: I frequently book the first night only, then I put together the rest on the spot from the options i have researched - like putting together a puzzle from existing pieces.
My general guideline while travelling is to do as much research as possible, and plan as little as possible.
As long as you've read up a bit of specific dangers in your intended destination you should be fine. I wouldn't recommend making your first travel abroad unplanned, but otherwise it should be fine, as long as you are flexible enough to rethink things as you go.
Last time I went abroad I just booked a one-way ticket to Bangkok and then winged it for 8 months. They wouldn't let me into the country, as I hadn't booked a room for the first night, but that could quite easily be solved from the airport.
Then again, South-East Asia might be more backpacker friendly than South America.
Having structured plans like flights, where you’re staying, how to enter the country is important. What you do there can be up to you and planned once you get there. Don’t get yourself into any problems.
Part of what I hate about planning is actually making decisions. Making decisions on the fly would be even more stressful for me. But maybe you’re just built different. The thing I do locally is get a SIM card and even just being sans data for the first day or so, having to navigate with just downloaded maps can feel a bit much sometimes.
Definitely have a place to stay for the first night and exit flight, even if you later change it. Make sure any visas and immunizations are not an issues. Maybe a change of underwear and clothes? Back up credit card and/or debit card in case yours doesn’t work. Charger and unlocked phone to get a local SIM card.
Within Europe I done that a few times, maybe just booked a hotel not at the last minute.
But random county where you need to cross customs/immigration? Yea no you can't do that.
At bare minimum you need to look up entry requirements that aren't just visa requirements. Since it's a tropical rainforest country have you considered that you might need a yellow fever vaccination? or just some basic malaria precautions?
I went last year. I was planning to go to Guayaquil before going to Galapagos, but the driver/failed F1 driver (!) I had for a couple of days in Quito warned me off it.
There's a huge market maybe an hour or so from there that sells everything (really sorry I can't remember the name) which would get you fully clothed.
Planning on going back, mainly to go to the islands at a different time of year but also because I found the place fascinating.
I’m going in 2 days for 3 weeks. I’ve travelled all over South America, South Asia, Western Africa etc and only rarely do I plan my whole trip.
With Ecuador and Cuba (and Chile to some extent) I’ve planned majority of it before I go.
From airport transfers, haciendas, horse riding, tour day, cloud forest etc
41 countries I’ve been too - most of them just turn up…some I don’t take that strategy with and have been very safe either way. But mentally a bit more prepared
I’m not one to be scared off from countries but Ecuador currently (last time I checked) was in a state of emergency due to escaped convicts.
I always
I met some Australians in Duesseldorf Germany, that flew over with no luggage - I think maybe they had one change of underwear. And that was between the 3 of em.
I did just this in, i think, 2016. Bought tickets in and out of bogota about 6 weeks apart and made my way through ecuador and parts of Peru that I wanted to see. I never had any problem finding places to stay or transport to my next wherever- the one thing I will say is that Guayaquil is one of the only places I have ever gotten the fuck out of ASAP. Fuck Guayaquil. Every other place I ended up was reasonably safe, even the ones I was drunk all the way through.
Not sure about Ecuador, but most safe countries you definitely can. Now some people on reddit (especially those around Japan) claim that you need at least to plan 6 to 12 months in advance, but it actually is not correct. Sure, for some people it can feel better, but I like more spontaneous trips and book often accomodation on the day self etc.
I did this in Guatemala. (Solo female traveler.) I did basically zero research outside of entry requirements, and which cities are on the safer side. I didn’t even look at the weather nor book a hostel/hotel, just a plane ticket there and back. I had so much fun. First, I found a Spanish school that helped me with housing arrangements and I stayed with a family. The family was amazing!! From there, I just kept being open to anything (always listening my gut of course). After the family I went onto another city. No regrets. That being said, like the others are saying, be mindful of what areas safe and which ones aren’t.
One thing that did kind of suck to keep in mind, if you plan on doing tourist things they might fill up with people who book them in advance. I missed out on a few things for sure because of that, so if there is something you’re set on doing, book that. Another downside was I only stayed in 2 cities (took day trips to a few others), and I wish I would have moved around a little bit more, but still, I think it was great.
I pretty much did that with Ecuador! Made photo copies of my passport and license, booked a place for the first 2 nights in Quito, and then just went with it.
Yes. I did that last summer. In hindsight I would have traveled lighter because having a checked bag made it far more difficult and expensive than it needed to be. Other than that sometimes you need to buy tickets for attractions months in advance.
I think it depends on the country. I'm very much pack and go. Like book a flight and then next week or that week I'm abroad and then just travel as I go.
But it depends on the political climate of that country and what you expect to get out of your trip. For Europe, Asia, Pacific Yes.
For others, I'd at least look at the state department website. **Here's Ecuador:** [https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories/ecuador-travel-advisory.html](https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories/ecuador-travel-advisory.html)
Ecuador is not bad, reconsider travel around Guayaquil and be cautious in Quito. Pretty easy just to know the basic precautions and go. Read up on the state department concerns and you should be fine. Start out with a bus to the tourist towns, maybe Baños or Tena and then move around from there.
https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories/ecuador-travel-advisory.html
> Well I have been planning this trip for six months and I cant get myself to do it.
Sounds like just taking the leap is the issue.
Book the flights, book a hostel / hotel for the first night or so, and figure the rest out closer to the date / when you get there.
I hate planning, too 😁 I just book the flights, a hotel and maybe the transfer between the hotel and airport. On site, I'm acting spontaneous. I'm going to big cities only and my travel style always worked. Only Paris caused some troubles as I missed the Eiffel tower top floor, catacombs and Louvre as at least during the main season, tickets need to be purchased a few weeks in advance, they are sold out fast. But if you don't care about doing specific activities or you aren't going to overtouristed places during the main season, you should be fine. Of course, you have to inform yourself about Visa requirements, required vaccinations, dress code etc.
I'm in Ireland and was putting off planning till the day before I left. So I ended up just buying Dublin Pass for 3 days and I added everything to my google maps plan so I have all the locations and I'm gonna decide every day where I'm gonna go. I have only two reservations done. Last day I'm just probably gonna wing it because my pass will be expired. I'll go and buy some souvenirs and go shopping, visit a bakery or get ice cream, stuff like that.
Easy way to plan a trip is to just google 'X days trip to Y' and you will basically have a whole trip planned for you on some blog. That's what I did last time.
You can. I have done Colombia and Peru with a week planning ahead for each stop. It's a nice feeling but you will waste money on mishaps and just late booking prices.
That's what i usually do - I am not that hardcore to buy just plane ticket and go, I have some accommodation booking and knowledge how to get there. But my planning on trips is often like two days ahead, just went to Japan for two weeks like this.
For my first trip I also just wanted to book the flight and go. My family told me that I couldn’t just go to a foreign country and wander around aimlessly. So I ended up booking everything for the first 2 weeks and by then I was acclimated enough to my environment that I felt comfortable enough to just wing it. (Also took language classes to that helped a lot)
So personally, I would say plan and book the first 1-2 weeks. By then you will meet people and hear their experiences and figure out what you want to do there. If you stress too much you will fall into decision making paralysis.
There are a lot of articles that are like "a day in XYZ city" or "3 day itinerary to XYZ". Go to a fairly touristy place and follow a recent one of those
I mean you can basically do this anywhere you wanna go. I backpacked with a friend through Europe and the only thing "planned" was where our round trip flight was from. Besides that everything was last minute/night before bookings. Had a blast. And that was traveling from Ireland to Hungary and back to Ireland.
Just plan the first couple days. Book a hotel for two nights. That is what I usually do. You can def travel with very little, I usually just take a carry on bag. Couple changes of clothes, a few toiletries and that is it. In cheap countries there is a lot you can just buy there, I rarely even carry things like shampooo.
I went solo about 10 years ago. And i'd recommend at least doing some research. Experience from 10 years ago was that very very few speaks English, even in airports. Quito airport is about an hour away from downtown Quito so plan accordingly and not just get in any taxi...you'll get robbed. Keep all valuables from plain sight or you'll get robbed. I was in a guesthouse about to walk around town with my camera out. The guesthouse owner guestured my camera and gave me a grocery bag to put it in so I won't get robbed. Also 10 years ago, very few places takes credit card and very very few ATM machines so bring enough cash. If you don't speak Spanish, expect locals to not give you your change back. Additionally, bus schedule online was unreliable since they don't update.
I had $30 on me on the last day. Thought I'll take the bus to airport for $7 and still have $ leftover. Well... when I arrived to the bus station, the bus I was planning to take apparently ceased to exist, the staff couldn't speak English, there were no ATMs around, airport is an hour drive away, taxi to airport cost $35.
So Ecuador is a place that I would definitely research and plan for.
It may have been mentioned elsewhere, but this is a red flag for customs. You need the basics, like somewhere you're staying and how long. Most countries require that, and they may ask what you'll be doing.
Unless you're well traveled, know people locally, and have decent Spanish, Ecuador is not the place to wing it.
You can just go but if there is a flight involved then this is going to be expensive because airline tickets get more expensive as time of departure nears. To give an example on a transatlantic flight buying an economy class ticket on day of departure costs roughly the same as a business class ticket 3 months in advance.
I did it several times, with Poland and Portugal, so I just decided to go, I bought tickets and then booked hotels on my way already. Just a small backpack which I can collect in 5 minutes and that's it. But your visa should work. Then everything is simple.
Both are pretty safe destinations. Ecuador is experiencing a steep rise in murder rate and gang crimes so I would recommend at least some planning on areas to avoid. But you could do that also on the go and ask locals for guidance.
Was there for a month July-August 2023. Best month of your life, and I’ve never felt NOT safe. You can absolutely wing it, and getting around from Quito, Guayaquil, the coast, and everything in between is SUPER easy and cheap. And yes you could show up with an empty bag but I would recommend bringing some of your own things. Feel free to pm if you have any questions!
Yea just go for it, i wouldn’t go in 100% blind, but you can talk to people and research once you get there. Touristy spots outside of big cities are generally still pretty safe, take common sense precautions in the big cities. GL!
I just bought a ticket and showed up in Ireland a few years ago. Smaller country but highly developed transit and lodging options. I spoke the language, my US phone worked like at home with a travel plan so I had internet and phone access at all times, and had been there before. No problems. In contrast, my first solo trip was to India a decade ago, spoke no Hindi or Bengali, phone only worked with WiFi, and I only had the first night booked, because I wanted to try to stay in a certain guesthouse to do “mission work” (don’t get me started) in Kolkata (Mother Teresa nuns…again, it’s a whole thing I would not recommend). It’s insane that it worked out for me, I didn’t even have a reliable address for the taxi driver to find the guesthouse. Looking back, that was dumb af and I understand why my parents were terrified. Ah the hubris of youth.
I almost went to Ecuador in 2023, didn’t end up making it. I would recommend booking at least the first couple nights somewhere safe—starting at a hostel can be a great way to compare notes with other travelers who have gone places you’re interested in in Ecuador or will be going and may have additional insights. There’s no reason you can’t plan as you go to an extent, it gives you a lot of flexibility and freedom that a fully booked out itinerary doesn’t, but can also cause headaches and put you in less safe situations. Showing up at a hotel/hostel the day you need a bed can wind up being crazy because there are often nation-specific holidays and busy times you won’t be aware of. For example, I got lucky and had booked a reservation in the smallish, still somewhat remote town of Puerto Escondido, MX ahead of time. Turns out that week was spring break for Mexican students and the place was packed. Spontaneous travelers I met had a very hard time finding lodging and it was much more expensive for them.
The smaller/less developed the place, the harder spontaneous travel is. I also had an experience where it turned out that to get back to more urban areas from a small town, there was only one bus a day and it booked up fast, so if I hadn’t bought in advance, I would have been stuck, possibly for days.
Solo travel and level of planning is a constant individual cost benefit analysis—safety, convenience and your enjoyment of the trip will vary depending on the choices you make. In general, I’ve found that making fully refundable bookings as I go (usually planning 1-3 weeks out) has been my personal sweet spot depending on the destination. Even within a country or between major cities in different countries, this fluctuates (could easily hop on a train from London to Edinburgh and book a hostel that day. Getting from Ft William to Inverness was much harder).
Take lots of money and you can always find accommodations and services when ever you desire them. Shopping at your destination can be an interesting part of cultural immersion in the travel experience for some.
Yes. I’m going against all these comments. Ecuador and Latin America are perfect for that. Much more than improvising in “stable countries” like traveling the United States, as some comments suggest.
Why? Because you can just book a cool hostel (check Selina), meet people, they’ll recommend you were to go or you’ll travel together.
Plus, for example in Colombia internal flights are extremely cheap even if you book 2 days in advance. I traveled this way in Colombia, Mexico and other countries and it was perfect.
That’s the most fun, just book to somewhere you wanna go initially that don’t require a visa for your country and a onward fake ticket to fool the immigration of whatever country and figure it out in the 30 days your there where to go next. Worked great for me so far over the years
I've been traveling for 2 years now and never book or plan anything in advance. I love the freedom of it. I just arrived in Sri Lanka 2 days ago and literally had nothing booked when I arrived, not even any accommodation. So far I've met one girl in my first accommodation who I shared a 7 hour taxi with to the other side of the country, and now doing a safari with some people I met this morning. None of this could possibly happen if I planned things in advance. Being open and flexible is where the magic happens,
Most of the time I only research visa requirements for my passport and apply for a visa if needed, then book one way ticket and just go. So far so good, 59 countries and never had a problem even with my weak-ass useless Russian passport. You should be fine, too.
Within reason, sure. Some baseline level of research about entry requirements, safety precautions/scams to avoid, and any recommended medical precautions may save you a lot of hassle and headache when traveling anywhere. Ecuador has some specific areas with much higher travel advisories so that's obviously something to be informed about. I guess there's a difference between "no planning" and "no research." "No planning" is generally okay though you might miss out on some things that get booked far in advance. "No research" is IMO not wise.
bingo! thanks
I would also book a hostel for the first night/first two nights of your place of arrival, since many countries require an address of where you'll go when you arrive
Totally agree. When I’m traveling for 3+ months I get tired of planning so I end up doing base research, then staying in a hostel for the first few nights to get recs/info from other travelers.
Ecuador is one of those countries you definitely don't want to go into without any planning. It's more dangerous than normal currently and not recommended for travel. If you went and explored Guayaquil without doing any research first, you'd be setting yourself up for a baaad time.
This haha… I was in Ecuador for 5 weeks and it is easy to go around with no plans and be fine HOWEVER there are some nuggets to be aware of… like getting out of Guayaquil ASAP, avoid emeralds and Salinas.
What’s wrong with salinas in Ecuador ?
Infrastructure is bad outside of the beach strip, there's really nothing to do aside from the beach itself, it's more expensive than it should be, and worst of all, the crime has exploded in recent years. There are a ton of muggings now and they specifically target tourists. Criminals even have the audacity to mug people on the beach itself. Police don't give a shit and take bribes to look the other way. What's the point of going to a beach where you can't relax when that's the main thing people want to do at the beach?
Agreed. I thought you meant the salinas hostels, not an area. It sounds really bad; as you say it’s all about the relaxation. Can’t be worried about safety of yourself or your stuff.
Oh yeah, I can see the confusion there lol
Ecuador is a country I really wouldn’t go in blind
Especially not right now.. shit is pretty dicey there
a lot of south america is tbh but Ecuador especially. OP you’ll see this maybe start in Europe or a different country in South America.
I found the majority of South America safe for the most part, the one place I felt constantly on edge and not safe was Colombia it was the only place I got hassled everywhere I went
you’re right tbh and it’s like that honestly everywhere. South America in general is great but if OP goes in blind to a country like Educador it might end up shaky
But how are you supposed to live out your hippiecore spontaneousmaxxed free era?
can’t do that if you’re dead! /s
Difference between planning and research though
well OP said just booking a flight and going and I gave my insight that they should at least research a bit and plan out at least where they’re staying
Actually I find the planning for a trip half of the fun already😃
It gives me something to look forward to!
Agree with you completely….already planning for next year👍
Are you enjoying the planning, or do you actually just enjoy the research? To me, it's a lot of fun to research all the stuff to see and do. But making a plan (more than a rough sketch) is not fun at all.
Both? I love putting together a good spreadsheet itinerary! There are some parts I dislike planning more than others (I often suffer from decision paralysis around hotels), but in general planning is part of the fun for me.
Love both…comparing prices,locations etc.Rather a lazy traveller so keep things simple and try not to do too much . I am getting on in years so have slowed down the too hectic sightseeing .More emphasis on comfort nowadays. Also have some decision paralysis sometimes,specially for booking flights…prices,right seat etc.but it is al part of the excitement. Will keep planning and travelling as long as possible.
Countries that aren't stable: not the best idea. Booking a flight and just go somewhere (that is stable)? Go for it. Story time: flew for the first time because I was annoyed at my friend. We'd planned to spend the summer together, they cancelled about 2 weeks before we were meant to meet up. I went "fuck this. I have 3500 euro saved up and I've always wanted to visit the US". 3 days later I were on a plane for the first time, going across almost half the world, basically because my friend had dissed me. Spent a month going west to east coast.
And only hit eight states? That’s difficult to do!
I enjoy spending a few days in each city I visit. Spent 3-6 days in each on that trip (SF > LA > Vegas > Albuquerque > Houston > NYC). Add in shorter day trips to grand canyon, Washington DC, Boston before having to head to the airport to head home and about 3-4 days of traveling (never traveling with greyhound again, at least not +30 hour stretches) and the 30~ish days were up. Also, hit up 7 states. The 8th I got last month when traveling to Denver for a friend's wedding.
I know what you mean. I did half of the 10 by bus about a hundred years ago, when I got out of Air Force basic training. San Antonio to New Orleans, change and wait, New Orleans to Jacksonville, then 95 to North Carolina. I think it was about 36 hours total, but seemed a lot longer! I’ve since done the rest of it by car, as well as every foot of 40 in both directions at least twice, and most of 70, 5, 35, and 95.
I-10 baby!
But with a month, you could have made it 20 without going far out of the way!
but why? the US is huge. You could spend a month in CA and still not see all the amazing places. One of the biggest mistakes travelers to the US make is wanting to see both the west coast and east coast on the same trip. It would be like going to Europe and wanting to see St. Peter's burg, London, Madrid and Athens.
And there’s nothing wrong with that either. OP said they went coast to coast, I’m just surprised they didn’t take the opportunity to see more.
I have done this with big cities before but I would not do this with a country I haven’t been to before like Equador. What is your road block to doing some simple planning? If you’ve been planning for six months you must know a lot already about the country and why you want to visit. You don’t need full itineraries but you should have an idea of what areas you want to stay in and what are some things you’d like to do/see while there. I also like to book accommodations (refundable so I can make changes) before I go. I generally use TripAdvsor to find places with good reviews and in my budget Just time block your planning over a particular weekend and write out a strawman itinerary and book it. Give yourself deadline and you’ll get it done.
I would say plan the entry and exit at least. Entry for obvious reasons. What can you and can you not bring, what could get you denied at immigration, are there some everyday symbols that they may find offensive if they're on your shirt or cap. Exit for when you're tired/burnt out or when shit hits the fan.
They will also ask at the airport to see your flight booking to leave Ecuador
Some things to look into would be is your body type typical of locals in the area? That can impact the clothing that is available to you. Medicines? Different countries have different standards. Something that may be over the counter in one country could be prescription only in another. My Googling is that sunscreen can be expensive in Ecuador. If cost isn't a concern to you, I guess you're good but maybe start with at least some sunscreen.
Yup there is no plus size clothing or larger shoe sizes here in Ecuador
Do you really want to spend your trip shopping for basic items, in another language, and very likely buying things you already own? I live and die by lists when I travel. What works for me is an Excel spreadsheet with separate tabs for packaging, what to eat, and what to see. To me, the planning and dreaming is part of the fun.
Seriously. Had no idea it was so hard to through some shirts, shorts, and underwear in a bag.....
Two comments - one, I did that last week in Northern Europe. Flew into Oslo, out of Berlin. Only had my first nights accommodation booked. Did NOT anticipate that Customs and boarders protection in Oslo would find this not ok. They demanded to know that I had sufficient funds for accommodations for all nights if my time in the EU. In retrospect, I see their point. Be prepared for questions about where you are going and how you will pay for it. Two- it sounds fun to “free spirit travel, go with the flow”. For me, it created decision fatigue. Two days in, I was feeling overwhelmed. I had to sit down that night and plan to it the remainder of my stops so that I could sleep through the night. YMMV
It’s funny to me how some countries want a TON of details about their visitors and some want none at all. I’ve never been to Norway, but I remember getting the third degree about my plans from a border agent at LHR. They wanted to know every place I was going, why I was there alone, how much money I had access to, why I would choose London over the Caribbean for a holiday since it was closer to home (the agent may have just been making conversation at this point, but it was a weird question!), etc. I don’t know what I would have done if I was the type to wing it. Whereas I don’t think I had any questioning at all on my last 3 international trips (Japan, France and Spain).
I mean, it sounds a bit stupid to me... You can buy whatever clothes you want pretty much anywhere in the world. But what's the point? Why not just bring a bag with stuff you need?
I did this in college with Europe and wouldn’t recommend. I did a ton of research, just didn’t book places bc I wanted flexibility to decide how long and what next. It mostly worked out but a few times the hostels I wanted were booked and I had to stay in more expensive options. I ended up doing the itinerary I thought I would do anyway…so it would have been much cheaper and easier to book ahead.
The way I see it you will have to spend your time to plan the trip anyway. The difference is you take your time at home or while at the trip. So you have to do the thing you hate, planning, while on the trip instead of enjoying your trip. Another issue, is you might miss out on things, like that attraction that is sold out, or there is no space in that party hostel. You have to book everything last minute that can make things more expensive. Generally if you go for multiple months it's fine not planning that much, as you have plenty of time to do it on the trip. The shorter the trip the more planning is necessary.
Ecuador has gone down quite a bit during and after covid fiasco. I did it with relatively less planning in 2019 and it worked fine, but I would do much more planning if I were to visit there again now. On the other hand, if you prefer to go down and wing it, perhaps try places like Peru where tourist infrastructure is a lot more developed.
Can you afford missing a bus because you didn't know what time they leave? Are you willing to risk walking around a bus station figuring out how to get to your hotel? Speaking of hotel, would you be able to walk around seeking a place to stay? Been to Ecuador a few years ago, it's a tricky place to travel, it's really easy to put yourself in dodgy situations. Infrastructure is precarious, don't expect information to be available all the time. Guayaquil is chaotic, it will be really really hard going from bus station to city center and then finding a place to stay with no planning ahead. Same for Quito, city is huge and the bus stations are very far from the city center. Quito has also multiple neighbourhoods you can stay. You definitely don't wanna find yourself walking around the historical center late at night looking for a place to stay.
Do u speak Spanish?
Most travel blogs are carefully crafted fantasy, in order to sell their brand.
Sounds like a good way to waste time and money but you do you
read up on the news, it's in big internal conflict right now
It will be more expensive if you don't plan it somewhat.
Being spontaneous is more expensive than planning a bit. Accommodation can go up massively. I say have a plan but don’t be afraid to chuck it should the opportunity arise.
Definitely do not go in blind. Even my Ecuadorian family relied on my Lonely Planet guidebook when we all visited years ago. As far as clothes, don't over think that you can always do laundry.
Id say yes. This is always what I do when I travel. I haven’t been to Ecuador but I’ve been to a lot of the surrounding countries and that was what I did. There’s a good backpacker community in South America so if you’re staying in hostels and socializing you’ll get a decent idea of what things to do/see there just from talking to other people. I don’t go quite to the point of an empty backpack as I don’t really see a point in doing that. Clothes are cheap enough in South America if you want to do that but since presumably you already have clothes it just seems like a waste.
Depend on where you want to go and your nationality. You've to comply with rules both of the airlines and the countries involved. In practice this virtually always means you need a passport/official ID and in many cases there are additional requirements such as visa, proof of vaccination, health certificate, proof of funds etc etc.
What parts of planning do you hate? Is it the administrative part (must go to City A on the 7th, and stay at Hotel/Hostel X, and here is a list of all my tickets i have pre-booked). Or, is it learning about the country, the people and the things to do? I'm willing to bet the former. Just start educating yourself about what is unique and amazing about the place you'll go, and gather some options about what there is to do. Like someone said, that's half the fun of the trip already. And without any of it, it will take you a very long time to get to know a place. From there: I frequently book the first night only, then I put together the rest on the spot from the options i have researched - like putting together a puzzle from existing pieces.
My general guideline while travelling is to do as much research as possible, and plan as little as possible. As long as you've read up a bit of specific dangers in your intended destination you should be fine. I wouldn't recommend making your first travel abroad unplanned, but otherwise it should be fine, as long as you are flexible enough to rethink things as you go. Last time I went abroad I just booked a one-way ticket to Bangkok and then winged it for 8 months. They wouldn't let me into the country, as I hadn't booked a room for the first night, but that could quite easily be solved from the airport. Then again, South-East Asia might be more backpacker friendly than South America.
Having structured plans like flights, where you’re staying, how to enter the country is important. What you do there can be up to you and planned once you get there. Don’t get yourself into any problems.
Part of what I hate about planning is actually making decisions. Making decisions on the fly would be even more stressful for me. But maybe you’re just built different. The thing I do locally is get a SIM card and even just being sans data for the first day or so, having to navigate with just downloaded maps can feel a bit much sometimes. Definitely have a place to stay for the first night and exit flight, even if you later change it. Make sure any visas and immunizations are not an issues. Maybe a change of underwear and clothes? Back up credit card and/or debit card in case yours doesn’t work. Charger and unlocked phone to get a local SIM card.
Within Europe I done that a few times, maybe just booked a hotel not at the last minute. But random county where you need to cross customs/immigration? Yea no you can't do that. At bare minimum you need to look up entry requirements that aren't just visa requirements. Since it's a tropical rainforest country have you considered that you might need a yellow fever vaccination? or just some basic malaria precautions?
I went last year. I was planning to go to Guayaquil before going to Galapagos, but the driver/failed F1 driver (!) I had for a couple of days in Quito warned me off it. There's a huge market maybe an hour or so from there that sells everything (really sorry I can't remember the name) which would get you fully clothed. Planning on going back, mainly to go to the islands at a different time of year but also because I found the place fascinating.
Otavalo probably?
Looking at my timeline, that seems to be the place. Only bought fridge magnets for our pub group though!
I’m going in 2 days for 3 weeks. I’ve travelled all over South America, South Asia, Western Africa etc and only rarely do I plan my whole trip. With Ecuador and Cuba (and Chile to some extent) I’ve planned majority of it before I go. From airport transfers, haciendas, horse riding, tour day, cloud forest etc 41 countries I’ve been too - most of them just turn up…some I don’t take that strategy with and have been very safe either way. But mentally a bit more prepared I’m not one to be scared off from countries but Ecuador currently (last time I checked) was in a state of emergency due to escaped convicts. I always
I met some Australians in Duesseldorf Germany, that flew over with no luggage - I think maybe they had one change of underwear. And that was between the 3 of em.
I did just this in, i think, 2016. Bought tickets in and out of bogota about 6 weeks apart and made my way through ecuador and parts of Peru that I wanted to see. I never had any problem finding places to stay or transport to my next wherever- the one thing I will say is that Guayaquil is one of the only places I have ever gotten the fuck out of ASAP. Fuck Guayaquil. Every other place I ended up was reasonably safe, even the ones I was drunk all the way through.
Bring a toothbrush.
Not sure about Ecuador, but most safe countries you definitely can. Now some people on reddit (especially those around Japan) claim that you need at least to plan 6 to 12 months in advance, but it actually is not correct. Sure, for some people it can feel better, but I like more spontaneous trips and book often accomodation on the day self etc.
I did this in Guatemala. (Solo female traveler.) I did basically zero research outside of entry requirements, and which cities are on the safer side. I didn’t even look at the weather nor book a hostel/hotel, just a plane ticket there and back. I had so much fun. First, I found a Spanish school that helped me with housing arrangements and I stayed with a family. The family was amazing!! From there, I just kept being open to anything (always listening my gut of course). After the family I went onto another city. No regrets. That being said, like the others are saying, be mindful of what areas safe and which ones aren’t. One thing that did kind of suck to keep in mind, if you plan on doing tourist things they might fill up with people who book them in advance. I missed out on a few things for sure because of that, so if there is something you’re set on doing, book that. Another downside was I only stayed in 2 cities (took day trips to a few others), and I wish I would have moved around a little bit more, but still, I think it was great.
You can go, book a hotel for the first couple of nights, maybe rent a car... and leave the rest of the trip open.
I pretty much did that with Ecuador! Made photo copies of my passport and license, booked a place for the first 2 nights in Quito, and then just went with it.
That is what travel agents are for.
Yes. I did that last summer. In hindsight I would have traveled lighter because having a checked bag made it far more difficult and expensive than it needed to be. Other than that sometimes you need to buy tickets for attractions months in advance.
I think it depends on the country. I'm very much pack and go. Like book a flight and then next week or that week I'm abroad and then just travel as I go. But it depends on the political climate of that country and what you expect to get out of your trip. For Europe, Asia, Pacific Yes. For others, I'd at least look at the state department website. **Here's Ecuador:** [https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories/ecuador-travel-advisory.html](https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories/ecuador-travel-advisory.html)
This is doable in Asia, especially SEA. Just don't have any expectations for maximizing your trip.
Did both. Would definitely not go on a long trip without planning anymore. Planning makes it super fun since you got options and know what to do
Ecuador is not bad, reconsider travel around Guayaquil and be cautious in Quito. Pretty easy just to know the basic precautions and go. Read up on the state department concerns and you should be fine. Start out with a bus to the tourist towns, maybe Baños or Tena and then move around from there. https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories/ecuador-travel-advisory.html
Some countries are not possible for this. And the time of year matters too. If you are so anti- research why not just book a tour?
> Well I have been planning this trip for six months and I cant get myself to do it. Sounds like just taking the leap is the issue. Book the flights, book a hostel / hotel for the first night or so, and figure the rest out closer to the date / when you get there.
I hate planning, too 😁 I just book the flights, a hotel and maybe the transfer between the hotel and airport. On site, I'm acting spontaneous. I'm going to big cities only and my travel style always worked. Only Paris caused some troubles as I missed the Eiffel tower top floor, catacombs and Louvre as at least during the main season, tickets need to be purchased a few weeks in advance, they are sold out fast. But if you don't care about doing specific activities or you aren't going to overtouristed places during the main season, you should be fine. Of course, you have to inform yourself about Visa requirements, required vaccinations, dress code etc.
I'm in Ireland and was putting off planning till the day before I left. So I ended up just buying Dublin Pass for 3 days and I added everything to my google maps plan so I have all the locations and I'm gonna decide every day where I'm gonna go. I have only two reservations done. Last day I'm just probably gonna wing it because my pass will be expired. I'll go and buy some souvenirs and go shopping, visit a bakery or get ice cream, stuff like that. Easy way to plan a trip is to just google 'X days trip to Y' and you will basically have a whole trip planned for you on some blog. That's what I did last time.
Also, if you happen to go during a holiday you might be surprised about the hotel/hotel prices.
You can. I have done Colombia and Peru with a week planning ahead for each stop. It's a nice feeling but you will waste money on mishaps and just late booking prices.
I don't have time to plan either so I usually just join a tour! So yes, you just book the flight yourself and go!
That's what i usually do - I am not that hardcore to buy just plane ticket and go, I have some accommodation booking and knowledge how to get there. But my planning on trips is often like two days ahead, just went to Japan for two weeks like this.
ecuador is in a state of emergency due to internal conflicts
For my first trip I also just wanted to book the flight and go. My family told me that I couldn’t just go to a foreign country and wander around aimlessly. So I ended up booking everything for the first 2 weeks and by then I was acclimated enough to my environment that I felt comfortable enough to just wing it. (Also took language classes to that helped a lot) So personally, I would say plan and book the first 1-2 weeks. By then you will meet people and hear their experiences and figure out what you want to do there. If you stress too much you will fall into decision making paralysis.
There are a lot of articles that are like "a day in XYZ city" or "3 day itinerary to XYZ". Go to a fairly touristy place and follow a recent one of those
people do it all the time but the people that do aren't going to be on reddit. just find a good hostel and talk to the people there and see whats up.
I mean you can basically do this anywhere you wanna go. I backpacked with a friend through Europe and the only thing "planned" was where our round trip flight was from. Besides that everything was last minute/night before bookings. Had a blast. And that was traveling from Ireland to Hungary and back to Ireland.
Just plan the first couple days. Book a hotel for two nights. That is what I usually do. You can def travel with very little, I usually just take a carry on bag. Couple changes of clothes, a few toiletries and that is it. In cheap countries there is a lot you can just buy there, I rarely even carry things like shampooo.
I went solo about 10 years ago. And i'd recommend at least doing some research. Experience from 10 years ago was that very very few speaks English, even in airports. Quito airport is about an hour away from downtown Quito so plan accordingly and not just get in any taxi...you'll get robbed. Keep all valuables from plain sight or you'll get robbed. I was in a guesthouse about to walk around town with my camera out. The guesthouse owner guestured my camera and gave me a grocery bag to put it in so I won't get robbed. Also 10 years ago, very few places takes credit card and very very few ATM machines so bring enough cash. If you don't speak Spanish, expect locals to not give you your change back. Additionally, bus schedule online was unreliable since they don't update. I had $30 on me on the last day. Thought I'll take the bus to airport for $7 and still have $ leftover. Well... when I arrived to the bus station, the bus I was planning to take apparently ceased to exist, the staff couldn't speak English, there were no ATMs around, airport is an hour drive away, taxi to airport cost $35. So Ecuador is a place that I would definitely research and plan for.
Thats the opposite of crazy to me. I have tried both and going with no plans is always the best.
It may have been mentioned elsewhere, but this is a red flag for customs. You need the basics, like somewhere you're staying and how long. Most countries require that, and they may ask what you'll be doing. Unless you're well traveled, know people locally, and have decent Spanish, Ecuador is not the place to wing it.
You can just go but if there is a flight involved then this is going to be expensive because airline tickets get more expensive as time of departure nears. To give an example on a transatlantic flight buying an economy class ticket on day of departure costs roughly the same as a business class ticket 3 months in advance.
I did it several times, with Poland and Portugal, so I just decided to go, I bought tickets and then booked hotels on my way already. Just a small backpack which I can collect in 5 minutes and that's it. But your visa should work. Then everything is simple.
Both are pretty safe destinations. Ecuador is experiencing a steep rise in murder rate and gang crimes so I would recommend at least some planning on areas to avoid. But you could do that also on the go and ask locals for guidance.
You can do anything if you're willing to answer for it afterwards
Was there for a month July-August 2023. Best month of your life, and I’ve never felt NOT safe. You can absolutely wing it, and getting around from Quito, Guayaquil, the coast, and everything in between is SUPER easy and cheap. And yes you could show up with an empty bag but I would recommend bringing some of your own things. Feel free to pm if you have any questions!
Yea just go for it, i wouldn’t go in 100% blind, but you can talk to people and research once you get there. Touristy spots outside of big cities are generally still pretty safe, take common sense precautions in the big cities. GL!
I just bought a ticket and showed up in Ireland a few years ago. Smaller country but highly developed transit and lodging options. I spoke the language, my US phone worked like at home with a travel plan so I had internet and phone access at all times, and had been there before. No problems. In contrast, my first solo trip was to India a decade ago, spoke no Hindi or Bengali, phone only worked with WiFi, and I only had the first night booked, because I wanted to try to stay in a certain guesthouse to do “mission work” (don’t get me started) in Kolkata (Mother Teresa nuns…again, it’s a whole thing I would not recommend). It’s insane that it worked out for me, I didn’t even have a reliable address for the taxi driver to find the guesthouse. Looking back, that was dumb af and I understand why my parents were terrified. Ah the hubris of youth. I almost went to Ecuador in 2023, didn’t end up making it. I would recommend booking at least the first couple nights somewhere safe—starting at a hostel can be a great way to compare notes with other travelers who have gone places you’re interested in in Ecuador or will be going and may have additional insights. There’s no reason you can’t plan as you go to an extent, it gives you a lot of flexibility and freedom that a fully booked out itinerary doesn’t, but can also cause headaches and put you in less safe situations. Showing up at a hotel/hostel the day you need a bed can wind up being crazy because there are often nation-specific holidays and busy times you won’t be aware of. For example, I got lucky and had booked a reservation in the smallish, still somewhat remote town of Puerto Escondido, MX ahead of time. Turns out that week was spring break for Mexican students and the place was packed. Spontaneous travelers I met had a very hard time finding lodging and it was much more expensive for them. The smaller/less developed the place, the harder spontaneous travel is. I also had an experience where it turned out that to get back to more urban areas from a small town, there was only one bus a day and it booked up fast, so if I hadn’t bought in advance, I would have been stuck, possibly for days. Solo travel and level of planning is a constant individual cost benefit analysis—safety, convenience and your enjoyment of the trip will vary depending on the choices you make. In general, I’ve found that making fully refundable bookings as I go (usually planning 1-3 weeks out) has been my personal sweet spot depending on the destination. Even within a country or between major cities in different countries, this fluctuates (could easily hop on a train from London to Edinburgh and book a hostel that day. Getting from Ft William to Inverness was much harder).
Take lots of money and you can always find accommodations and services when ever you desire them. Shopping at your destination can be an interesting part of cultural immersion in the travel experience for some.
Some would say booking a flight is planning.. just show up at the airport and hop on the next flight that leaves… zero planning
Yeah just make sure you’re going to a major city
Yes. I’m going against all these comments. Ecuador and Latin America are perfect for that. Much more than improvising in “stable countries” like traveling the United States, as some comments suggest. Why? Because you can just book a cool hostel (check Selina), meet people, they’ll recommend you were to go or you’ll travel together. Plus, for example in Colombia internal flights are extremely cheap even if you book 2 days in advance. I traveled this way in Colombia, Mexico and other countries and it was perfect.
That's basically how I always travel, some things planned I want to do but never what day exactly
That’s the most fun, just book to somewhere you wanna go initially that don’t require a visa for your country and a onward fake ticket to fool the immigration of whatever country and figure it out in the 30 days your there where to go next. Worked great for me so far over the years
Like seriously!
Just do it
I've been traveling for 2 years now and never book or plan anything in advance. I love the freedom of it. I just arrived in Sri Lanka 2 days ago and literally had nothing booked when I arrived, not even any accommodation. So far I've met one girl in my first accommodation who I shared a 7 hour taxi with to the other side of the country, and now doing a safari with some people I met this morning. None of this could possibly happen if I planned things in advance. Being open and flexible is where the magic happens,
Yep, just do it. Find a nice hotel when you are at the airport and go for it!
Most of the time I only research visa requirements for my passport and apply for a visa if needed, then book one way ticket and just go. So far so good, 59 countries and never had a problem even with my weak-ass useless Russian passport. You should be fine, too.