When I was first thinking about the name of this travel blog, I recalled a train trip with Vikram earlier this year. As we started crossing over a body of water, I asked Vikram:

“Do you know what this is?”

“No. I don’t know where we are.”

“Oh, I can just look it up on Google maps.”

“…I prefer to wonder.”

Just a few words, delivered without pretense or drama—but the simplicity of it struck me.

I was so quick to reach for my phone to know our exact location and the name of the body of water. I always have an urge to know everything, control as much as possible, and plan down to the last detail. On my calendar, I keep track of not only meetings and deadlines, but also keep detailed lists of what I have to do—and when I’ll do each piece. On weekend trips, I flag emails with important reservations and share with everyone and anyone who needs to know. And on 10-day vacations? I tend to chart out each day from waking to sleeping, and each hour if I could (though my travel companions often stop me).

Of course, there’s value in thoughtful planning and deliberate actions, and I’m not just saying that because of my own planning biases. It seems obvious that you don’t want to show up to a foreign country without the required visas or vaccinations, and a few minutes of planning can help score good travel deals or avoid predictable scams.

And it’s also not enough to simply “wonder” at the places you encounter or the people you meet without taking the opportunity to learn something new. But these stories won’t be searchable on the Internet. They’ll only be uncovered as I slow down, embrace each moment rather than plan each moment, and turn my focus away from my calendar to the people and places around me.

This is the wonder I want in my life, and it’s part of why I’m doing this trip. To shake up my routine, live more simply, and “go with the flow”—and embrace the unknowns and wonder of traveling.