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Born to be wild at Carnival 2012 in Trinidad & Tobago. No watch on this dude.

There is a great scene in the iconic 1960s counterculture classic movie Easy Rider where Peter Fonda takes off his watch before the epic cross-country motorcycle trip destined for New Orleans begins. He looks at his watch and with a look of contempt tosses it on the pavement as if it were a bug on his shoulder. The camera pans on the discarded item as they rev up their bikes and take off to discover America: Steppenwolf’s Born to be Wild follows. Click on the video below to see this awesome movie intro.

This scene is the epitome of freedom and not only perfectly captures the essence of the times, but also the appeal of adventure travel. Ever since landing in Trinidad & Tobago, I have had no clue what the time has been for most of the time, and I have not cared.

Born to be wild in Trinidad & Tobago with no concept of time

There are times in travel when you have to know the time. When you have to catch a bus, train, or plane, it is essential. Travel is most relaxing and carefree when time does not matter. If you are lucky enough to be able to put everything aside and just go, that is when you feel most free. Let the sun dictate your time schedule instead of the dial on your wrist.

There is a connection with time and being on schedule and stress. When you have to do something by a certain time it creates a stress. It becomes a deadline and it is like work. Travel is most stress free when there are no deadlines. If you put yourself on too much of a rigid schedule then travel becomes too much like work and creates stress instead of eliminating it.

When J’Ouvert started Trinidad & Tobago’s 2012 Carnival we did have to arrive at a certain time, but once the parade began and the beer and rum started flowing, time did not matter. I felt so free as I danced down the streets of Port of Spain with thousands of other revelers dousing chocolate and just taking in the experience.

I realize this is in part a personal preference. Some people need a schedule and for them the opposite occurs and when there is no schedule then this becomes a point of stress. The important aspect is to know yourself and create an itinerary you are most comfortable with.

Even if you are schedule oriented, you should try one time to go on a vacation and let yourself be free. Before you leave for vacation pull a Peter Fonda and right before you leave your flat take off that watch and throw it on the bed before you leave. Don’t worry, you still have your cell phone.

TT

The goal of Traveling Ted is to inspire people to outdoor adventure travel and then provide tips on where and how to go. If you liked this post then enter your email in the box to get email notifications for each new entry. Daily travel photos are excluded from your email in order to not flood you with posts. There is no spam and email information will not be shared. Other e-follow options include Facebook (click on the like box to the right) or twitter (click on the pretty bird on the rainbow above).

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