The Price of Spontaneity
I live my life spontaneously because, honestly, I don’t know any other way. I love spontaneity. I encourage people to be spontaneous. I truly believe life is more fun when you let go of the illusion of control, surprises make it worth it.
But as much as I love it, I’ve learned that spontaneity comes with a price.
Two Types of People
This isn’t 100% accurate, but there are two types of people in the world: the planners and the spontaneous. Planners love their calendars, routines, and to-do lists. They thrive on knowing what’s coming next. Spontaneous people? We thrive on vibes.
And while I don't think either type is "better," I’ve come to realize that the sweet spot is somewhere in the middle.
Because full control creates disappointment when things don’t go as planned and full spontaneity can create chaos. Like, real stress. The kind that makes you question your life choices in the middle of a travel visa meltdown.
The Travel Chaos Saga
Travel is my favorite arena for spontaneity. If someone says “We’re going somewhere,” I say “I’m in!” I don’t ask where, when, or why. If it disrupts my routine, I’m happy. I’ve always believed the people matter more than the place. If I’m with easygoing travel buddies, I’m good.
But… sometimes life demands a little planning.
When 2025 started, I knew I wanted to travel. No plans yet, just vibes. Germany sounded fun, I’ve never been and I have friends there. Seemed like a great place to start. I checked the visa rules and saw that I couldn’t apply more than 3 months ahead of my trip. So I waited.
While I waited, I said yes to two more trips. One to Portugal with a group of friends including my friends from Germany! Another to Morocco. Everything was a beautiful blur of possibilities… except none of it was locked in. I started second-guessing which visa I should even apply for: Germany or Portugal?
Suddenly it was mid-April and I hadn’t done anything. Portugal seemed the most likely destination, so I prepared all the paperwork for the Portuguese Embassy.
And that’s when the real chaos started.
The Portuguese consulate doesn’t have a location in LA. The closest one? San Francisco. Six hours away. And their next appointment? June.
My trip? last week of May.
Panic set in.
There was a mail-in option, great! But only if I’d had my biometrics taken by any European country in the last four years. I remembered applying for a French visa last year… but did they scan my fingers or not? Unclear. Too risky.
Now, with Portugal still in play, I pivoted to Spain because it had a consulate in LA. First available appointment: May 2. The exact minimum number of working days required before I travel.
So now I’m just… waiting. Anxiously. Hoping my visa arrives on time. I still haven’t booked my flights or hotels. I might book everything 24 hours before flying across the world. Who needs certainty anyway?
This is when I realized: being spontaneous is fun until it’s not. I’m normally proud of how flexible and chill I am. But this time, it wasn’t chill. It was unnecessary stress. I somehow turned my vacation into a logistical nightmare.
I’m still grateful I can travel and that I get to make mistakes like this. But I’d prefer to not be this stressed about something that’s supposed to bring me joy.
The Outcome
I’m happy to report that I got my visa just 2 days before my intended travel date. I booked multiple last-minute flights and hotels, then set off on my longest trip yet: 28 days of spontaneous adventure, very little planning, and plenty of memories I’ll never forget. It was incredible… just also physically exhausting.
Be Spontaneous With Limits
This isn’t a warning against spontaneity. It’s a celebration of it with a gentle reminder: some things in life do need planning.
Book that spontaneous weekend road trip. Say yes to the last-minute hike or beach hangout. Let yourself be surprised.
But maybe don’t wing the international visa. Or your wedding for example.
The trick is knowing when to flow and when to plan. That’s where the real magic (and fewer meltdowns) happens.