As my avatar would suggest, we’re wanderers whenever we can be.
We’re also smart enough to know when we need reservations and that flights are often less expensive when purchased at least 3 weeks in advance. We do some research so we know what’s in an area, but mostly decide what to actually do once there. We’re also not opposed to adding or dropping something last minute. The only things “planned” are those with time restraints or crowds that require it.
When H and I were newly together in college a sailing trip he had planned got cancelled due to chicken pox among the others going. We decided last minute to go to FL instead. He came to my room with a detailed itinerary that even had which rest areas we’d be stopping at to use the bathroom and what time we’d be there. I took one look, crumpled it up, and tossed it in the nearby trash can telling him there’s no way in Hades I’d travel with him. He was so in love at the time that he agreed to just go along with me anyway, more or less begging to keep the trip on. Now he absolutely loves the way we travel. He even suggests some very last minute, on the spot, things we do. We can wake up one morning and decide to head out (from home) at times. It helps that he works for himself (no boss to ask for time off) and his job is mostly portable (needs a computer and occasional internet). I usually only work part time to keep my time free. Obviously when I’m full time (at school) we can’t do it, but I don’t choose that often specifically for our travel whims.
Organized tours would never work for us. We spend far more time than they allot at any museum or trail and could never handle having such an agenda. Cruises don’t interest us in the least either. We have crowd allergies and prefer off the beaten path. We’re the ones who were pulled over by a cop in Oklahoma because he didn’t recognize our license plate (PA) and wondered what we were doing on a back road - “most folks take the interstate.” After checking my license he apologized profusely and welcomed us to his area. We’ve also been in restaurants and post offices where they never get tourists. It’s pretty cool to be welcomed when you’re the one no one knows.
Charles Kuralt said it best, ‘Thanks to the Interstate Highway System, it is now possible to travel across the country from coast to coast without seeing anything.’
We’re with him. We use interstates to get to the start of our trip, but love getting off. We prefer seeing the land and the people and, well, wandering.