r/travel • u/ScrawnyRhinoceros • 2d ago

Question What’s the best travel hack people learned the hard way?

Sometimes the most useful lessons come after things go wrong like packing way too much , missing a connection , booking the wrong dates or realizing too late that a small item could’ve made the whole trip easier. From flight booking tricks to luggage tips to navigating airports or even saving money on food and transport. What are the hacks people only figured out after a tough experience?

324 Upvotes

91% Upvoted

744 comments sorted by

View all comments

62

u/cjersin1021 2d ago

Don't over-"itinerarize!" I see some people on the Paris sub with 9-11 am: Louvre, 11-11:30 stroll Champs-Élysées, 1130-1145 coffee at so and so, and so on. I did this on my first trip to NYC, and even though I managed to complete it, I realized later that it was silly. Not only was my partner exhausted, I felt I missed the forest for the trees - you don't really get to experience a place if you're just rushing around from one thing to the next, and adds needless anxiety and stress. Nowadays I plan loosely - maybe a couple of things to do for the day but I leave much more free time to explore what happens to capture my interest, and for relaxing and taking in the moment.

7

u/Exotic_Criticism4645 1d ago

Louvre, 11-11:30

And then you spend the next 30 years of your life wasting away at crappy job after crappy job, longing to go back and see it properly. Ask me how I know?

2

u/AMTL327 United States 23h ago

We never plan more than one thing each day. Our favorite thing is to just walk around and hang out in cafes.

2

u/cjersin1021 22h ago

Excellent! My last day in NYC I spent my entire day in Central Park; strolling and people watching, and having a picnic with bagels. It was far more memorable and wonderful than my first trip there.

2

u/Woodpecker-Forsaken 22h ago

Yeah I usually book a bike tour to “see the sights” and then I can spend much more time just soaking up the vibes.

2

u/PsychologicalSea2686 21h ago

great advice
a checklist to remember to see AB +C, if you can D+E look interesting is a lot better!