Do as the Romans do
My roommate and his friends were looking for another person to join them on their Rome trip. I joyfully agreed to tag along. The next day after class, all 8 of us met up to plan the logistics. As someone who is more flow-oriented when it comes to trip planning, it surprised me how organized they were.
First, we created a group chat via WhatsApp. Then we created a Google Doc with a day by day schedule of places we wanted to see each day. Lastly, a Google Spreadsheet was made to show expenses, who paid, and how much everyone owes them. I had to quickly adapt to their style of trip planning. It felt like it wasn’t my place to make any big decisions because I had just tagged along their trip but I realized I was still entitled to voice my opinions; it was my trip too.
We knew Saturday was going to be hectic because the plan was to visit the Vatican, attend Pride, and then hit up a few more sites after Pride. Of course, things didn’t go to plan. Everyone woke up late so we made it to the Vatican late which in turn pushed our entire schedule back. This is where my flow-oriented planning came in handy.
I knew Pride wouldn’t end as soon as the parade was over. People typically hang out in the streets after so I suggested we still go and if there wasn’t anything we could continue sightseeing. To no surprise, the crowd was still huge. I stood in awe as the entire street had turned into one big party.
Overall, the trip gave me a glimpse into what the workforce may be like. It is going to be full of collaboration with colleagues you may or may not know. No matter what the case is, you still have to be direct with your thoughts/opinions and be able to adapt to any situation that arises. In my case, communication was key to making a memorable trip.