People often ask me for travel tips. Some expect me to recommend a destination, while others want to know the best cruise line or my favorite hotel.
Those are fun questions to answer, but after many years of traveling the world and helping others plan their own adventures, I’ve realized the most valuable lessons have very little to do with where you go.
Instead, they’re about how you travel.
Here are ten things I’ve learned along the way.
1. Arrive a Day Early When It Really Matters
If you’re boarding a cruise, joining an escorted tour, or traveling for a special event, arriving the day before is one of the best investments you can make.
Flight delays happen. Weather happens. Mechanical issues happen.
An extra night at the beginning of your vacation can turn a stressful situation into nothing more than an interesting story to tell later.
2. Choose Experiences Over Souvenirs
I’ve brought home magnets, mugs, ornaments, and books from around the world.
I treasure them all, but the things I remember most aren’t the souvenirs.
They’re the experiences.
Discovering the Bocca della Verità (Mouth of Truth) in Rome. Wandering through a Christmas market with a warm drink in my hand. Standing on the deck of a cruise ship as a glacier slowly comes into view.
Those are the souvenirs that never collect dust.
3. Make Time to Simply Exist Somewhere Beautiful
This may be the biggest lesson travel has taught me.
Not every minute needs to be planned.
Some of my favorite memories have come from doing…almost nothing.
Sitting on a balcony as the sun rises over the ocean.
Enjoying a cappuccino in a quiet Italian piazza.
Watching riverboats drift past from the lounge of an Avalon ship.
Finding a shady bench in a botanical garden and simply taking it all in.
Those quiet moments often become the memories we carry home long after we’ve forgotten what museum we visited at 2:00 on Tuesday afternoon.
4. Pack Less Than You Think You’ll Need
I still catch myself overpacking occasionally.
The funny thing is that I almost always wear the same favorite outfits while the “just in case” clothes remain folded neatly in the suitcase.
Packing lighter makes airports easier, train stations easier, hotel stays easier…and your back will thank you.
5. Spend Money on What Matters Most to You
Every traveler is different.
For some people it’s a balcony cabin.
For others it’s a guided food tour, a cooking class, a special dinner, or upgrading to a room with an incredible view.
The best vacations aren’t necessarily the most expensive.
They’re the ones that match your priorities.
6. Download the Airline’s App Before You Leave Home
This is probably the simplest travel tip I can give.
Most airline apps let you check in, store your boarding pass, receive gate changes, track your luggage, and get notifications if your flight is delayed.
It’s one small thing that can make travel day much less stressful.
7. You Don’t Have to See Everything
When I was younger, I thought I needed to see every attraction in every city.
Now I know better.
I’d rather spend an afternoon getting to know one neighborhood than rush through five famous landmarks simply to say I’ve been there.
Travel isn’t a race.
8. Talk to Local People
Some of the best travel advice I’ve ever received didn’t come from a guidebook.
It came from someone who lived there.
Whether it’s a waiter recommending a neighborhood restaurant, a taxi driver suggesting a scenic overlook, or a shop owner pointing you toward a hidden courtyard, locals often know the places that visitors never discover.
9. Leave Room for the Unexpected
Sometimes the highlight of an entire trip isn’t on the itinerary.
It might be stumbling upon a street musician with a cat on his shoulder in Montmartre.
Finding an outdoor market you didn’t know existed.
Or wandering into a tiny bakery because it smelled too good to walk past.
Those unexpected discoveries are often the moments we remember most vividly.
10. The Best Trips Change You
Every destination has something to teach us.
Sometimes it’s history.
Sometimes it’s another culture.
Sometimes it’s a different way of looking at life.
I’ve come home from every trip with photographs, but I’ve also come home with new perspectives, new friendships, and a greater appreciation for how wonderfully diverse our world really is.
To me, that’s the greatest souvenir of all.
Final Thoughts
People sometimes ask me how many countries I’ve visited.
It’s a fun question, and yes, I keep count.
But the older I get, the less important the number seems.
I’d rather remember the conversations I had, the meals I shared, the sunsets I watched, and the moments when I simply stopped and appreciated where I was.
Those are the memories that last.
So wherever your next journey takes you, I hope you leave a little room to slow down, look around, and simply exist in a beautiful place.
You might discover that’s the best part of the trip.
And, just for the curious, here’s my list of countries that I’ve visited:
Antigua & Barbada; Austria; The Bahamas; Barbados; Belgium; Canada; Colombia; Costa Rica; Cyprus; Czech Republic; Denmark; Dominica; Dominican Republic; France; Germany; Greece; Iceland; Ireland; Italy; Jamaica; Japan; South Korea; Liechtenstein; Malta; Mexico; Morocco; Netherlands; Nicaragua; Norway; Panama; Portugal; Saint Kitts & Nevis; Saint Lucia; Spain; Switzerland; Turkey; United Kingdom & Vatican City. I’ll be adding: Romania, Croatia, Serbia; Bulgaria & Hungary to this list at the end of July 2026!
Cleared For Take-Off! 