When I interviewed Michelle Fetsch for Nomadtopia Radio, I was really struck by the differences in our stories: we both quit our jobs to travel, but it took me more than two years, and her just two weeks!

We all have our own levels of risk tolerance, and it’s important to determine what you need in place to be able to take the leap.

For my big leap, I needed money in the bank (which took a while to accumulate!) and plane tickets for the big hops I would take around the world. Michelle just needed determination and a one-way ticket.

Michelle says that people often call her a free spirit, which reminds me of the times I’ve been called a free spirit over the years, but then disagreed with the person saying it, pointing out that it takes me a long time to make a change; I don’t just take off with no plan!

But over the years, I’ve become much more of a free spirit than I used to be.

It wasn’t an intentional change for me, though; I think it’s been a natural result of living abroad and traveling for extended periods of time (and, to be honest, I’m sure getting burned out on travel planning is also part of it!).

Even though it’s come about naturally for me over time, I think that we can choose to be more spontaneous, if we want to.

Here are a few things that may encourage your inner free spirit to break out:

• Recognizing that things don’t always go according to plan anyway.
• Noticing that sometimes, things turn out even better than we could have planned for or anticipated.
• Acknowledging that any possible negative consequences of being spontaneous are manageable.
• Enjoying the memorable experiences we have when we are spontaneous.

Do you tend to be more of a free spirit or more of a planner? Would you like to be more spontaneous than you are? How have you become more spontaneous, naturally or intentionally?