Travel Serendipity

Frequent Flier

Seat-of-the-Pants Tourism Without Belt or Suspenders

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By AMIR D. ACZEL

Published: December 5, 2006

I OFTEN take my wife, Debra, on business trips with me. She believes in something she calls “travel by serendipity” — no reservations, and let’s see what wonderful things we find. But every year I get more worried that our luck will run out and we’ll be stuck somewhere with no place to sleep.

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Courtesy of Amir D. Aczel

Amir D. Aczel, an author, with his wife, Debra, who prefers to “travel by serendipity,” in the Italian Alps.

Two years ago, while researching my book on Descartes, we were driving in the French countryside near the town of Descartes, the philosopher’s birthplace, without a reservation and with no available hotel room in sight.

Suddenly, as if out of thin air, serendipity struck and a 15th-century chateau materialized in front of us. It turned out to be Château de Brou, a luxury hotel with all the amenities and a royal suite — and at a price lower than a cramped hotel room in any major city.

Last year, while researching a book about a secret French mathematical society, we were traveling in Provence, unaware that we were in the midst of a famous summer music festival.

Again, there was no hotel room to be found for miles. But after driving around for a while, we chanced on a little-known gem — Hotel Le Vieux Port, overlooking a picturesque fishing harbor.

But this year, it seemed that our luck was going to desert us.

I’m working on a book about the discovery of early humans, and we spent the summer visiting caves with prehistoric art. One night in July, we arrived in the city of San Sebastián, on the Atlantic coast of Spain, after having visited caves much farther south. It wasn’t a weekend, and there was no music or other festivals.

At the first hotel in town, a grim-faced attendant shook his head when we asked, and said, “No room,” in heavily accented English.

We kept driving until reaching the resort town of Saint-Jean-de-Luz, just across the French border. We found a fabulous hotel on the beach, but again, the person at the desk said: “Complet. Désolé.” Again, no room.

After a few more rejections I concluded that serendipity was not on our side. We would have to sleep in the car.

Just then, we saw the inviting sign of a comfortable chain hotel along the highway.

“No harm in trying one more time,” Debra said with a sigh.

It was now 2 a.m., and we were bleary-eyed as we stumbled into the lobby.

“Sure we have a room,” said the cheery desk attendant, handing me a key.

My wife gave me a “see I told you so” smile. And I returned it with a “let’s not push our luck next time” grimace.

Serendipity had not left us after all. But it was in a leaving mood that night. As I walked down to the lobby from our room to buy a can of soda, I overheard the attendant talking with another motorist.

“Sorry,” he said to the visitor. “We just gave away our last room.”

By Amir D. Aczel, as told to Christopher Elliott. E-mail: elliottc@nytimes.com

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