HERE ARE MY 11 GREATEST TRAVEL REGRETS ABOUT POPULAR DESTINATIONS, ACCORDING TO SOMEONE WHO HAS TRAVELED ALL AROUND THE WORLD

Hi! My name is Michelle, and I love to travel. Ever since I could afford it, I've been taking myself on trips both around the US and around the world. As a perfectionist with a limited budget, I've tried to optimize every trip for maximum pleasure.

Along the way, I've learned that "the perfect trip" doesn't exist, and that, for me, a great trip isn't defined by Tripadvisor's Top 10 list. However, I also realized that there are little things I could have done better to get the most out of my trips.

So to save you the trouble, here are my best travel tips — based on mistakes I've made in past travels and how I learned from them:

1.PARIS, FRANCE: When traveling in groups, schedule a solo day or two. I love my friends, but for reasons having nothing to do with them and everything with my solitary instincts, I can only handle a set amount of active social time per day. I learned this very quickly when I took a trip with two friends to Paris, France. At first, everything went smoothly.

2.LIMA, PERU: Do the touristy thing you've been dreaming about, even if everyone advises against it. It happened to me in Peru, when numerous Internet threads and people who'd been to Peru discouraged me from making a stop in Lima. ("There's nothing to do," one person said. "It's unsafe," another advised me.) When I got home, despite experiencing one of the wonders of the world (Machu Picchu), I couldn't stop wondering about what cool restaurants I'd missed out on in Lima.

3.LONDON, UK: Even if you consider yourself a spontaneous traveler, don't wing the whole trip. Aside from being stressed and trying to Google things to do from a cafe with Wi-Fi, the other downside to winging it is missing the chance to learn that a few key sights — like Westminster Abbey or the Tower of London — aren't even open to the public this month because they're closed for renovation.

4.ACCRA, GHANA: Never underestimate traffic and commute times. You know that saying, "Man plans, traffic laughs"? No? That's probably because it's not a thing — but I wish I had heard of it before I embarked on an itinerary that had me sitting in traffic for upwards of six hours a day. If I could do this trip again, I would clear out half of the schedule and leave lots of room for relaxing at a beach bar, spending a night at Kakum National Park, or simply enjoying the local music scene.

5.CALABRIA, ITALY: Don't eat out for every meal. When I was in Calabria, by the fourth day, I was so sick at the thought of food that I salivated at the thought of a bare-bones salad with no dressing.

6.HIGHLANDS, SCOTLAND: If you're planning to drive through narrow roads or in Europe in general, rent a small car. My friend and I spent many hours a day zig-zagging through narrow, winding, one-way roads with a never-ending shower of light rain. While rain and driving on the "wrong side" of the road weren't factors we could control, driving in a small car would've made the whole trip less anxiety-inducing.

7.SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA: Try and connect with locals. The one thing I didn't do during my trip to Seoul was connect with more locals — people who could help me experience the culture outside of shopping malls, museums, and culinary spots.

8.BERLIN, GERMANY: Keep a travel diary. You never know if it'll be the beginning of a very long relationship. All I have from my first trip to Berlin is a few hundred photos of the insides of museums, cake slices, and the outside of Berghain. It's not nothing, but I so wish I had written down some thoughts from the trip that would inspire a transatlantic move.

9.NAMUR, BELGIUM: Know the difference between a city you should sightsee in and a city you should relax in. Suffice it to say, my biggest regret in Belgium is trying to do Namur like I would Paris. This is a place for strolling, and I spent too many days trying to run through little museums here and there. Instead, I should have been absorbing the slow charms of a city untouched by commercial tourism.

10.ROME, ITALY: Don't visit a major Italian city in July or August. The fact is, Rome is one of my favorite cities in the world, but at the peak of summer, it's hot, muggy, and crowded. You will constantly be one demonstration or train delay away from a complete travel meltdown.

11.MEXICO CITY, MEXICO: Don't wait to travel to places close to you. You never know when that window of opportunity will close. Somehow, it never occurred to me that I one day may move and lose accessibility to so many beautiful destinations. I regret not visiting Mexico City when it was a mere three-hour flight.

Honestly, while I do have some regrets about these trips, what are regrets but a normal result of engaging in the act of discovery (AKA travel)? Sometimes, that process concludes with a less-than-exciting finding!

Now that you've heard mine, I want to know: What travel regrets do YOU have? Let me know in the comments below!

2023-05-31T21:36:49Z dg43tfdfdgfd