I've Traveled All Around The World And These Are 11 Of My Greatest Regrets (So You Can Avoid Them On Your Next Adventure)
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.
We shared sumptuous French feasts, laughed at the street performers, and collectively brooded about our love lives. Around day four though, tension was in the air. Friend #1 was sick of doing all the translating for the rest of the group, and Friend #2 wanted to do sightseeing that leaned more artsy than the rest of us cared for.
Somehow, our 20-year-old social wisdom led us to a wise decision (which prevented a major travel regret!): Taking a day off to do whatever the hell we wanted, unbothered by the opinions of the two other people in the group. I'm honestly not sure if any of us would still be friends had we not taken that day off to ourselves.
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.
You've probably been there: You organize a trip to your dream destination, and when you solicit your friends' advice on what to do and what not to do, they all advise against the super touristy thing you had your heart set on.
So you go on your vacation and skip the Louvre/Pantheon/overrated Michelin-starred restaurant, but when you come back home, you can't help but feel a Louvre/Pantheon/overrated Michelin-starred restaurant-shaped hole in your heart.
Now, whenever I plan a trip, I always ask myself which sights are non-negotiables because they're central to my inherent interests or values. As a former food writer, Lima's food scene should have been a no-brainer!
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.
When I was in London, I planned nothing at all, hoping that my ~carefree~ and ~go with the flow~ personality would somehow have me waltzing from sight to sight. Today, I can safely say that I've ditched this delusion and accepted the fact that I am definitively NOT a spontaneous traveler.
For someone like me, "spontaneity" is just another word for "delayed planning," because a free moment won't inspire adventures around town. It'll look like a frantic Google search for "cafes with Wi-Fi" in my vicinity where I can sit and make a rough list of things to do for the rest of the day.
These days, I opt for a hybrid strategy of making a list of a few "must-dos" for every trip, leaving most of the trip open to long lunches and long walks around town.
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.
As someone who spent the majority of her life in Los Angeles, I should have known better than to underestimate the traffic time in Accra and the surrounding areas. Before I visited in 2022, I worked with a local guide to plan out an ambitious seven-day schedule that included multiple sights on each day.
Whether you're planning a trip to LA or Mumbai, I beg you: add one hour to every commute time you see on Google Maps.
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.
Have you ever heard of a food hangover? It's a thing, and it's bound to happen when you're eating out two meals a day, every day for a week straight.
My simplest travel tip is to try and eat out just one meal a day. Not only will each meal that you eat out taste a little more delicious, but you'll also get to experience what grocery shopping in a new country is like.
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.
One of the most memorable hiking trips I ever took was to the Scottish Highlands in the middle of October. Every hike was lush, green, and completely deserted — a Middle Earth-esque landscape rivaled by New Zealand. But as I've learned through the years, there's a price to pay for any verdant backdrop. In this case, it was rain and lots of it.
What I've learned over the years in general is that European roads are much narrower than what we Americans are used to. Whether it's to accommodate one-way streets or tiny parking spots, small cars will consistently save you some road rage.
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.
On my first trip to my motherland (South Korea), I did everything I thought I had to do to educate myself on my heritage. I visited historical museums, tried all the Korean food, experienced Korean spas, and even paid my respects at my maternal grandmother's burial mound.
Today, I'm embarrassed to say that even as a Korean, I only have a superficial understanding of Korea, having mostly experienced the touristy stuff. My most memorable trips have always been ones where I've connected with a friend currently living in the region or met someone through a hostel or shared activity who could give me some local-friendly suggestions.
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.
I now live in Berlin, and there are days when I long to hear the chirping songbirds as a newcomer or relish the first bite of a fresh pretzel again. How did I feel when I first experienced a 9:45 p.m. sunset? What did German sound like before I could actually understand any of it?
I now make a point to record at least a few thoughts each day I'm on vacation, if only so I can appreciate the feeling of being on vacation many months later.
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.
There's nothing I love more than vacationing somewhere that's of little renown. Googling "Namur, Belgium" won't yield more than two or three pages of results, and most of those blogs will point to the same tiny collection of landmarks. Its real charm is in its winding cobblestone lanes flanked by shiny windows filled with trinkets and baby clothes and kitchen goods that seem caught mid-dance in a number from Fantasia — that's how romantic everything feels.
It's all winding rivers, wee parks, and village folk holding giant paper cones of French fries. I wouldn't be surprised if Belle came waltzing in screaming about her village life. Okay, enough with the Disney references, Michelle.
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.
If you can help it, do not plan for any extended trips in July or August through Rome, Milan, Naples, Venice, or any other major Italian hotspot.
On my last trip to Rome, I'll never forget standing in an hourlong, unshaded line, waiting for an archaeological wonder that I'll surely only remember for the fact that it offered a reprieve from the sun. Now I understand why Italians wear long pants year-round, I remember thinking. It's not fashion — it's a UV guard.
Narrow cobblestone streets and sidewalks and teeny mom-and-pop restaurants are twee and memorable when they're not teeming with people. Alternatively, if you do make the mistake of booking a trip to Italy in the last two weeks of August, you might find the whole city a ghost town.
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.
It's crazy the things you miss when you've lost access to them. When I was living in LA, I could have easily hopped on a flight to visit Mexico City, Portland, or Vancouver.
Now, a trip to the west coast regularly costs me at least 24 hours of commute time. I don't know if I'll ever make it to any cities that border California, and I sure do wish I had taken advantage of the opportunity when it was closer.
