Planning the trip or letting chance rule: futurist Luiz Candreva reflects

Plan ahead or see everything last minute? What is your team?

Planning a trip has numerous benefits : allows you to spend less, guarantee tickets or access to all kinds of attractions, analyze different hotels, create an itinerary that doesn’t leave anything relevant out and reduce the possibility of cucumbers on the way, whether before, during or even after the trip.

Already the opposite , which is to leave chance in charge, also has, it is true, its charms. Often, by chance, a script is created with a great experience.

Numerous are the cases of encounters by mistake that became finds for a lifetime. In the field of science, examples range from penicillin or radiation, or even the discovery of the American continent during the great navigations of the Middle Ages.

Much of the human journey in the world was based on the randomness of facts and connections and, especially, on how each protagonist of these adventures responded to the chaos in front of them.

beginning of the adventure

Today’s story is about that. In March of this year, after SXSW, the biggest creativity, business, film and music festival in the world that takes place in Texas, I visited a friend who lives in FloridaBianca, and we decided to travel to Key West in the group of islands in the extreme south of America that form the Florida Keys .

Without much planning, we met at the end of the afternoon of the previous day in miami for a coffee, with drinks and sunset in the terrace of the Sugar lounge, in the Brickell neighborhood, with dinner at Fifth La Huellaa cool Uruguayan place with a cool atmosphere.

There we agreed on the departure time and that, along the way, we would see if we would stay in the city that is only 90 miles from Cuba or if we would return to Miami on the same day. A friend of mine, Cássio, was also excited to go, as well as a friend of Bianca’s who was visiting the city.

The other day, in the morning, I rented a car on a platform that allows “peer to peer” rentals, that is, like Airbnb, directly from individuals. Being in Miami, with incredible weather and in two people, I opted for a comfortable, sporty and obviously convertible car.

I picked up the car first thing in the morning and, so far, everything was on schedule. I told Bianca that I had the car and was going to meet her and her friend so we could have coffee and wait for Cássio who was in Aventura (north of Miami) to meet us and leave.

chance

Here, the coincidences that would lead us to an incredible outcome begin. Cássio was excited about the idea of ​​a convertible and, in short, wanted to rent it too. It turns out that his registration took a while to come out, so I suggested another rental company.

We managed to get the car, but they were gone for about 1h30. With the clocks already showing almost 10 am and Cássio still in Aventura and with a trip ahead of him of at least 3h30, the return on the same day already seemed unlikely. In the end, breakfast turned into brunch, and we left after 1pm.

I emphasize that reacting to adversity in a “good vibes” way is the best way out

We set foot on the road and Bianca and I went ahead, with clicks on a beautiful sunny day and with the aim of finding a nice place, foot in the sand if possible, to enjoy the afternoon.

Already convinced that we would not go to Key West the objective became to make the most of the journey and the other islands along the way, with no destination or set times.

We found a number of options in Islamorada , an island that is approximately 130 km from Key West or Miami, basically halfway there. I chose a random street to get to the sea, curiously called Beach Road.

In addition to the absurd view, there was a path that led inside a property that appeared to be a hotel. We went in and snooped around: the place was beautiful, with a super cool infrastructure. Without even needing to say anything, it was clear that both of us had already chosen that accommodation to spend the day.

As we like the view, the infrastructure and the atmosphere, I looked for the name of the hotel on the cell phone map. We called, asked about availability and rates, and according to the attendant, the place was fully booked and there was no availability until April.

Even so, as we were already there, we talked to some guests and employees and discovered that the hotel has different types of accommodation, from villas, chalets, common rooms, accommodation on a golf course to owners’ homes.

It’s rare that we have everything 100% full: many times, if you persist, you will get one of the vacancies that were “impossible”, “sold out” or “unavailable”. Armed with this conviction, I decided to insist: better than the reservation center, it would be the counter directly.

I am convinced that, almost always, there is at least one ticket, one room, one seat, one vacancy available

The hotel

After walking around the streets for a while, I went to a lobby. We arrived, I informed the guardhouse that we were looking for accommodation and a place to have lunch. Our entrance was released, we entered and the path, with the buildings of the rooms and other facilities, only confirmed our certainty. Everything was very nice and organized.

The main building faces the Atlantic and, in addition to an indoor bar, the complex has five restaurants with different cuisines and proposals. You may have noticed that I haven’t said the name of the place yet, but hold on a little longer.

I went to reception to explain the unpredictability of the visit and look for accommodation. usually the Over-the-counter rates are higher than on websites and booking centers. However, sometimes there is a possibility to negotiate and the closer to the end of the day, the better, since, for the hotel, it is better to occupy a room at a minimum price than to leave it empty.

I informed myself and explained that I would wait for my colleagues to define what the next step would be. We asked for a table for lunch at the Atlantic’s Edge and there we have a breathtaking view.

Incidentally, the view is the main attraction of the restaurant. Not that the food is bad, including desserts, drinks, juices and starters are delicious. The cost, however, does not balance with the quality. A late lunch or dinner for four with starters, salad, fish and sides and assorted drinks, including wine, runs from $80 to $120 per person.

From the restaurant I was able to understand the resort better: it faces a very shallow and calm portion of the sea. There are almost no waves, the wind enters the back of the island, where there are even sailing sports on offer. The hotel also has varied options such as stand up paddle, kayak, Hawaiian canoe – all included in the daily rate – in addition to jet ski rental, boat trips and fishing.

The views are stunning. The service, although sometimes slower than one might wish, is top notch, with 90% of the staff not only helpful and polite, but seeking the “extra mile”, that is, doing something extra in your deliveries.

This adds heavily to the overall experience. We had lunch and the afternoon disappeared while we chatted and strolled along the piers.

Amidst some debate regarding rooms, rate values, schedules, I went to reception to understand what was still available. A double room had already been “snatched” by another visitor; without clashing with the others, I booked the apartment.

The accommodation was very comfortable, basically two rooms in one, with a full kitchen, fridge, cooktop, dishwasher, coffee maker and the like. The sunset came and with it a festival of incredible colors, as well as a full moon that made the night, already pleasant, even more delicious.

Drinks, a quick dinner and away the night went, we entered the dawn. As I said above, on clear nights and not so hot days, convertible cars pay for the experience.

I ended up choosing to take a walk on the roads that cut through the small islets. The fact that there are very few artificial lights allows you to see a very starry sky. Videos and many photos in “night mode” plus good music with the top down set the tone.

By 2:30 am we were all settled in our rooms. Surreptitiously, so as not to wake anyone up, I got up around 5:30 am and went running along the seashore, waiting for the first rays of sunlight. The light transition times are always the most incredible and this region and this resort has fantastic angles and landscapes.

After all that, I went to try breakfast. I ordered a fruit bowl, as well as a type of muffin made with egg whites, almond flour and blueberries, as well as an orange juice and an almond milk hot chocolate.

Once again, the restaurant doesn’t disappoint, but it doesn’t delight either. Tables filled up quickly after 7:30am, and it was visible how many were frequent guests (possibly owners) greeting and being greeted back by the waiters by their respective names. This point for me is what binds this whole set together:

The sense of community, so traditional in North American culture, is also present there. There is a zeal by everyone for the whole and thus, cleanliness, organization and good vibes: the place has its origin, in my view, this sense of community that has surfaced and is present.

I left the cafe and went to enjoy the pool – in all there are more than nine pools spread around the complex. I took advantage of the peace of the empty space to meditate and rest a little and wandered around some areas that I had not yet visited.

For the rest of the day, we enjoyed the hotel’s infrastructure, I took a surfboard stand up and went rowing enjoying the placid waters. Lunch consisted of appetizers and various salads, and I had salmon with a tomato and avocado salad, which was perhaps the best meal in terms of new flavors that I tried there.

As usual across the US, lunch has much lower prices than dinner : with drinks, desserts and lunch for three, the total was no more than US$ 100. It’s worth the experience!

After lunch I checked out and sat at the lobby bar, which, by the way, is an experience I recommend in any North American city, as we have the opportunity to interact and have fun with others.

Moral of the story

I realized then that we would not arrive in time to return the car without incurring new costs compared to the previously defined schedule. Here comes one of the facilities of the car rental platform: directly through the app, I asked for the extension, which was already pre-authorized, I agreed with the owner the new schedule and everything was ready.

On board we headed back to Miami with the sun setting and the certainty that, from time to time, it’s really worth getting carried away without plans, without north, without seeing the apparent problems on the way as mere setbacks.

Many times they present us with new opportunities and serve as keys to discover experiences that, otherwise, would be lost, in addition to incredible places like the cheeca lodge the resort I refer to in this text in Islamorada, in the state of Florida.

About Luiz Candreva

Luiz Candreva is one of the main Brazilian futurists. Head of innovation at Ayoo, columnist for CBN and CNN Brasil, creative director of the Disruptive MBA, professor at Fundação Dom Cabral, HSM, and Startse; board member of Aleach Ventures, speaker with more than 800 presentations in different countries, as well as world record holder for KiteSurfing.