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Avoid the Hard Rock

“avoid the tourist traps, the overpriced obligatory attractions that suck you in and then waste precious vacation time”

If there is one thing I can tell you about successful and stress free traveling, it is this: avoid the Hard Rock. By this I simply mean avoid the tourist traps, the overpriced obligatory attractions that suck you in and then waste precious vacation time waiting in long lines and then irritate you by forcing you to navigate through crowds of impatient fellow travelers. Ask yourselves this: Is it really worth it? When you get back from vacation you say things like, “Yep, we saw the Eiffel Tower, we went to the Arc de Triomphe, etc.” Does anyone ever really care that you may or may not have gone inside? I say no.

We have been to Paris, we traveled to Florence and Venice, and we went to Pisa all while in Europe. Not one person asked us if we went to the top of the Eiffel Tower or walked around Notre Dame. And you know what? We had a better time having not done so. Because we avoided the tourist traps, it allowed us time to explore the city, take in the cultures of the places we visited, and it alleviated the stress and frustration of trying to maneuver through the crowds.

“Instead of heading to the top of the Eiffel Tower, we picnicked on the lawn in front of the Tower.”

Instead of heading to the top of the Eiffel Tower, we picnicked on the lawn in front of the Tower. Instead of paying for the overpriced gondola rides in Venice, we opted to experience the local culture by traveling by way of water taxis, which by the way are a great deal cheaper.

I’m not saying that we never venture into one of these places; however, we are very selective in doing so. While in France for example, we decided the one place we would actually pay to go into was the Louvre. Yes, the lines were ridiculously long and yes, the entire place was crowded with wall to wall people, but we wanted to see the Mona Lisa. We waited in line for what seemed like an eternity in the 100 degree weather of the Parisian heat wave just to get a glimpse of that famous painting.

After several wrong turns, several stops for photos along the way, and a somewhat difficult conversation with a museum staff member, we finally found the Mona Lisa. Although I can now say that I was up close and personal with one of the world’s most famous paintings, I’m not convinced that it impacted the enjoyment of my trip all that much. My best memories of that trip are sitting in a Parisian café, touring the Tuscan vineyards, window shopping among the islands off of Venice, and enjoying a chilled glass of rose wine in the outdoor restaurants in Florence, none of which caused any great stress, none of which caused any undue frustration, and none of which caused a major strain on my wallet!

“My best memories of that trip are sitting in a Parisian café, touring the Tuscan vineyards, window shopping among the islands off of Venice, and enjoying a chilled glass of rose wine in the outdoor restaurants in Florence”

So, my advice to you fellow travel enthusiast is this: avoid the Hard Rock. Don’t feel pressured to tour every attraction and monument there is. Not only will it save your sanity and your cash flow, it will allow you to truly enjoy the travel experience, which is what traveling is all about.