Buy a book and read it. Get a Let’s Go book for your destination. Read it, and take it seriously. They’ve got it exactly right when they say pack the absolute minimum that you think you’ll need, and then take half the clothes and twice the money. (The rest of this stuff isn’t in the book.)
Ask the locals for advice, and obey them. If nothing jumps out at you when you’re reading the menu, just ask the waiter what they prefer, and then order it. I’m not there to eat what I usually eat, I’m there to try something new.
Don’t take pictures inside attractions. Believe me, no matter how good of a photographer you think you are, that shot of the stained glass window inside Notre Dame isn’t going to turn out worth a poop. Museums are poorly lit, people get in the way, you get in the way of others, and you’re not even using a good camera. If you want pictures of what’s inside, buy a book. Take your pictures outside.
Take pictures of things that mean something to you, not to historians. The instant you say to yourself, “Now THIS is why I take vacations,” snap a picture. It doesn’t matter what the picture is; you just want to remember the moment. Every morning in Paris, I’d walk down to the Pantheon and stare down the street at the barely visible Eiffel Tower as it poked through the fog. This is still my favorite travel photo, even though it means absolutely nothing to anyone other than me. It just reminds me of exactly why I love to travel, the beauty of seeing new things, and the feeling of one particular instant in time. Near the end of the bright building on the right is a little McDonald’s, and if you turn right there, you’ll run into a bakery that has great spinach croissants. I’d never remember these things if I didn’t have the photo - and that memory is worth a lot more than a perfectly composed yet sterile photo of the Eiffel Tower.
Stay and eat in the nicest or the worst places, but never in between. Either the hotel is your main attraction (like when I had the great luck to stay in a castle in the Loire Valley) or it’s simply a place to rest your head for a few hours a day (when I crashed in a dive in Mexico.) Don’t bother with anything in between, because it isn’t worth the extra money. If the hotel isn’t part of what you’re going to see, then find the cheapest place you can, and spend the money on what’s worthwhile.
Don’t rely on ratings from the web sites that are selling you something. When travel sites like Expedia, Hotels.com, Priceline and Travelocity rate hotels, they’re only doing it on the basis of amenities. Those amenities don’t mean nearly as much as the quality of the hotel itself and the services it provides. Don’t trust the sites who are taking your money, because those sites are only trying to get more money out of you. Instead, go on the basis of trusted travel guides like Frommer’s and Let’s Go.
Get a Zagat’s restaurant book for your destination city. The general guidebooks list a few best bets, but if you’re in the mood for a specific cuisine, you’ll appreciate the variety Zagat’s offers. A Zagat book will cost you a fraction of a single entree: we spent $4.95 on our Zagat’s Miami Beach book (more accurately called a booklet) but it paid off the very first time we ate at one of the restaurants. If you don’t want to spring for the book, or if you’re short on time, check the doors and windows of the restaurants before you go in. Restaurants with Zagat reviews will display the Zagat sticker prominently in their doors and windows because it’s quite an achievement.
Leave your khakis at home. I don’t know what it is about khakis and golf shirts, but nobody on this planet wears them other than us stupid Americans. I’m hard to embarass, but I’ll always remember walking around the streets of Paris in a pair of khakis and feeling like I had a target painted on my head. Becky took a picture of me in front of the Pei pyramids, and I’m the only person in sight with khakis. (A similarly clueless American was in blue jeans, though.) Wear black. Like Visa, it’s everywhere you want to be.
One small suitcase per person. First off, who cares if you wear the same clothes twice during the trip? (Launder them, of course!) I can’t recall a single outfit worn by any of my travel companions during any trip I’ve taken. If two of you are going, bring two small suitcases, not one big one. It’s much easier to haul small ones through subways, buses, airports, and the like. (Erika disagrees with me on this one.)
Treat every person like family. There’s nothing more obnoxious than seeing a tourist berate a stranger over insignificant things. If the waiter is sloppy, the hotel clerk puts you in the wrong room, or the car rental guy won’t upgrade you, relax and deal with it. Believe it or not, odds are nobody gives a rip about you unless you endear yourself to them. Jump at the chance to be friendly with every person you meet, and it will be good for everyone involved.
Two words: Dr. Scholl’s. Even your favorite pair of shoes will get uncomfortable after being on your feet ten hours a day for three days. Get a pair of shoe pads before you go, and it’ll enhance your travels.
Never go back to work the next day. Plan a goof-off day at home for every 4-5 days of so-called vacation. If you go on a one-week trip, you’re going to need a couple of days relaxation, laundry, chores, and sleep in order to catch back up to your normal schedule. You won’t mind coming home, because you won’t have the pressures of work instantly awaiting your arrival, and you’ll also have some wiggle room in case your travel plans go awry.
Last but not least…get the travel books about the city you actually live in. Believe it or not, no matter where you live, there are people who take vacations in your city. Don’t miss out on wonderful things to do just because you live near them. People live next to ruins in Italy, and take it casually because they see them every day. Learn about your city, and take in the sights. Years from now, when you’ve moved away, you’ll be able to remember the neat things you did, and it costs a lot less than traveling somewhere else to do the same things. I have great memories of Memphis, Savannah, and other cities not from vacations, but because I lived there and treated it like I was on a long vacation.
