What’s one piece of travel advice you always follow?

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My number one traveling advice will always be to research where you are going BEFORE you get there. There are many reasons to do this.

For one, if for whatever reason, the area in which you are staying is not the safest town or city in the world, it would probably not be the best destination family vacation. This can also be applied to specific places you want to visit within that area. The last vacation I took to Colorado, we ended up visiting a mall in town. We did not know this beforehand but there had been a stabbing just a few days prior. Luckily, nothing happened to us personally, but we would have potentially skipped out on this place if we had been privy to that knowledge. So, if for no other reason, just make sure the places on your itinerary are safe!

This goes hand-in-hand with the first point but research the venue you will be staying at as well! Whether it be a 5-star hotel, a hostel or an Air BnB, make sure the place has had recent good reviews, and nothing weird or creepy happening. The best accommodations are never completely safe from bed bugs and other creepy crawlies in the rooms. Not to mention, you never know how many people have used that very bed and accommodations so just be mindful of that. For Air BnBs specifically, research the owners of the property. See the comments from people who have stayed there previously. If there are negative comments, pay attention to how the owner reacts to that kind of feedback. I would highly recommend skipping out on places where there is a defensive owner who refuses any responsibility for anything happening. This is just a headache waiting to happen. 

Secondly, I feel as though preparing a budget prior to leaving is the best way to go. I am not saying you have to plan out every hour of your day and how much every little thing is going to cost, but I would advise looking into the bigger excursions or activities you would like to accomplish during your short stay. Having an idea of what most things cost there, will allow you to have a more accurate travel budget and lessen the amount of stress you will have while on vacation. Prices can and do fluctuate, so be sure to save a bit extra, per person, if you can. 

If you are going to a popping touristy place, I would highly recommend researching the specific areas of peddlers. Think of Las Vegas and all the people who are trying to scam you out of way too much money for just a picture or some cheap knock-off souvenir. Unfortunately, this is happening in more and more places, so I would either avoid those places with heavy scammer activity or go with enough people that you feel more confident in just walking away. My sister and her friend went to Austin, Texas not too long ago and there were people claiming to be monks, practically forcing their texts into people’s hands and asking them to pay for them. My sister’s friend ended up giving up money for this stuff, which turned out to be the most-cheap looking booklets in existence.  Basically, either avoid these people entirely, or feel confident enough to not let them strong arm you into giving them money. 

I feel like I have popped off enough, so I hope you take some of this advice at least, particular the safety aspect. There is seemingly nothing worse than feeling unsafe when you should be in relaxation mode.