I am traveling in Europe, and feeling inspired to reflect on some of my guidelines for travel. These are not hard and fast rules - they are guidelines, or philosophies.

Don't go back for seconds

In Barcelona there was a restaurant that served the most incredible hummus (in fact the restaurant was __called_ Hummus). I decided to go back a second time, and felt underwhelmed - it just wasn't as impressive the next time around. I don't fault the restaurant - the quality was there, but the novelty had faded.

My takeaway is that it's best to make the effort to enjoy the experience fully just once. Be present, be engaged, and be bold.

In future travels, I'd like to explore the "upgraded" experience: for example, choosing the tour at the museum.

Make plans, but leave room

It's recommended by some museums to book ahead, due to tickets selling out day-of. This encourages a rough structure for the day: for example, if the museum is at 2pm, then that may suggest brunch/lunch before, or stopping for a coffee/beer to relax after.

I like to do some research before hand, making a google maps list of tourist attractions and restaurants. Local subreddits usually have a decent guide for tourists. I like to keep it loose, though, to leave room for spontaneous suggestions or invitations.

Break your routines

I don't want to recreate my home life somewhere else. Even this short trip, working part-time, has been a great opportunity to break free from the routines of daily home life.

That includes eating habits, work habits, social habits - putting myself in an unfamiliar environment and adapting.

Push yourself but don't exhaust yourself

In Amsterdam on this trip, I landed from the red eye flight at 7am local time not having slept well.. and went to bed at 2am after a full day of adventure, and night of drinking. The next day I was so exhausted I barely left the hotel.

I believe it's good to push myself on vacation - a fresh environment means old habits and self-imposed limits are lessened. I surprised myself already on this trip with how much energy I could muster.

That said, I don't want to miss out due to exhaustion: I want to pace myself.

Wrap up

I have taken five trips in the past year, and these are some of the lessons I've learned and plan to apply in the future.