There’s a particular kind of beauty that reveals itself when you take a wrong turn in an unfamiliar city. It’s the kind of magic you can’t plan or anticipate, and it’s often the most memorable part of any journey. While guidebooks and itineraries can help us navigate new destinations with ease, it’s the unintentional detours—the moments of getting completely and blissfully lost—that breathe life into the travel experience.

When you travel, especially in foreign countries where language and culture diverge from your own, there’s always an underlying current of uncertainty. This unpredictability is where adventure lives. Wandering down a quiet alley in Lisbon might lead you to a tiny café where the owner serves you espresso without a common language between you. Missing a bus in Chiang Mai could mean discovering a local festival that wasn’t mentioned in any travel blog. Taking the wrong subway exit in Tokyo may open up a view of a shrine tucked away from the neon and bustle.

Getting lost removes the pressure to “see everything.” It forces you to look around more attentively. You begin to notice the small details that often get overlooked in the rush from one tourist site to another—the laundry flapping from balconies, the scent of something unfamiliar but delicious wafting from a street cart, the sound of children laughing in a park you weren’t planning to pass. When you’re lost, your senses are on high alert, and the city becomes more alive.

In a time when our phones can guide us turn-by-turn and offer translated menus with a single tap, deliberately choosing to let go of that control can feel radical. There’s a kind of travel wisdom in allowing spontaneity to take the wheel. It teaches resilience and flexibility. It shows us that discomfort isn’t always something to be avoided. Sometimes, it’s the very thing that leads us to stories worth telling.

Of course, there are practicalities to consider—safety, time, energy—but even within those limits, there’s room to roam. Traveling isn’t just about accumulating sights; it’s about collecting experiences that shift your perspective. When you look back on your trip, it’s rarely the monument that sticks with you the most—it’s the time you stumbled into a wedding procession in a small village, or when a stranger walked with you for ten minutes just to make sure you found your way.

So the next time you find yourself in a new place, put down the map for a while. Let the rhythm of the street guide you. Follow your curiosity instead of your itinerary. Ask for directions even if you’re not sure you need them, just for the sake of human connection. And if you get completely turned around, embrace it. In the realm of travel, being lost is often just another word for being found.