Do's and Don'ts: Planning Activities for Travel
How to Sightsee with Little Effort
After traveling with my mom, I have realized that I am very set in my ways when planning the day to day activities. I don't plan much, but what I do plan is usually a balance of culture and history and I try to be as efficient with my time and as possible. Some of these things are me being my super organized self, and some of these were learned through mistakes along the way. Nevertheless, here are my personal tips and tricks for planning the perfect sightseeing trip.Don't
Don't assume you can always go in and find something to do. Maybe for smaller cities you'll stumble upon all the sites that interest you, but don't plan on that working for larger cities. Make sure to have some general idea of what you want to see, whether it be by researching months in advance, checking a guidebook on the way over, or looking at a map in the tourist information office. |
| Imperial War Museum, London |
Do
If you're going to buy guidebooks, buy the ones that explain the sites. Guidebooks can be great because they'll give you the top ten list, the lesser known sites, and some tips for the city. But really good guidebooks will give you history and information on the place, rather than just the lists. So if you're going to buy one, buy one that will be like a tour guide for you so you can save some money on those audio guides.Don't
Don't assume top ten lists are the best things of the city. I know this because I make so many. Top ten lists are either based on personal opinion, which carries from person to person, or based off of many tourist traps or heavily trafficked sites. Don't get me wrong, some of the top ten lists are very accurate, but there's always more to a city. So maybe start off with a top ten list then dig deeper to tailor your trip to you.Do
Use Trip Advisor, but with a grain of salt. I love Trip Advisor because it lists every possible thing to see and do in a city. So I can look through all the options. Sometimes the recommendations are great, and sometimes they're not. So when reading Trip Advisor, make sure to not believe everything. Just use it as a suggestion. What I usually do is find all the places on Trip Advisor, make a list, and then check their websites. This usually takes me about 30 minutes to 45 minutes. I use it a lot because it doesn't just give me the top ten.Don't
Don't forget about public transportation. The fastest way for me to cross something off my list is if I cannot get there by public transportation. And just because Google maps says you can walk there doesn't always mean you can. Some roads don't have sidewalks and you don't always want to take that chance in a foreign country. So before you book something far outside the city center, ask yourself, can you safely walk there or is there public transportation?Do
Check for days that things may be closed. Oh I've made this mistake many times. Europe is very good about making sure workers get at least one day off. And since most museums and attractions aren't closed on Sundays to allow for weekenders to take advantage, many places are closed on Mondays or Tuesdays. Also some places in southern Europe take a really long lunch break. So make sure to check the opening times before you tragically save something for the last day and realize it's closed! |
| A Hidden Gem in the Streets Sacre Coeur, Paris |
Don't
Don't forget to book in advance during peak season. I'm bad and never book in advance unless something specifically specifies that you have to. I guess I just don't like being tied down to time constraints. But in the summer, you have to book in advance. Don't even think about anything on a top ten list without advanced booking unless you like four hour wait times.Do
Plan efficiently. Once I have my list of interests and know which days they are open, I place them all on the map. This is more important for bigger cities because you can plan your days by zones rather than criss crossing all over the city. It also means less walking and less money spent on public transportation. I know it sounds way too organized, but this usually takes 10 minutes max by using Google maps, and your feet will be thanking you.
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