The first time I traveled, I was in my late 20s. I followed the well-worn path of “safe” tourist destinations. Reservations for every flight, hotel, car, and tour were made weeks or months in advance. What if I can’t get a room? What if the price goes up? What if nobody speaks English?

If I’m going to Times Square for New Year’s Eve, the Super Bowl, or Mardi Gras, then yes—rooms and flights may sell out and prices may soar. Most of the time, though, they won’t.

As time passed, I began to ask myself new questions. What if I arrive somewhere and don’t want to stay as long as I planned? Or worse, what if I’m “scheduled” to leave tomorrow but discover I want to stay? And who hasn’t chosen the wrong neighborhood or hotel at least once? My hand is up.

I’ve taken too many tours that stopped at places I had no interest in and rushed through places I wanted to explore. Then there are the forced stops at stores and restaurants where the tour company gets a commission. Eventually I decided that life is too short, and the world too big, to let reservations dictate where I go, when I leave, or how I spend my time. I want time for the people as well as the sights, sounds, and smells of a place. Yes, the cats too.

Journey Unchecked grew from that pursuit of freedom, whether it takes you on a two-hour flight within your home country or all the way to Timbuktu (it’s on the list).

The freedom to have what you need without checking a bag.

The freedom that comes from being prepared enough to change course without being bound to an itinerary.

The freedom that opens the world and its endless opportunities to you as you Journey Unchecked.