Get off the freeway.

Over the years, we’ve gotten on a tour bus once or twice. We took a coach from Queenstown to Milford Sound, hoping to take a helicopter back. But the weather didn’t cooperate. And we did a shore excursion — our first and last — to Ephesus years ago.

Not a lot of time on organized tours, but enough to convince us that we’d be miserable on a coach tour for any length of time. So we almost always travel independently. To get where we’re going, we’ll either take a train, rent a car, or hop on a boat. We make virtually all the arrangements ourselves. And we spend tons of time at travel sites doing research before we go.

But no matter how much you plan or how many arrangements you make in advance, independent travel is harder than just getting on a bus. You usually end up carrying your bag yourself – which isn’t that fun when you’re running for a train. Driving abroad can be pretty stressful. And you have no advocate when things don’t go exactly as planned.

We’ve learned from our experiences. So we don’t make the same mistakes we once did. And the biggest one – the absolute worst thing you can do when planning a trip for yourself – is to bite off more than you can chew.

Our first trip to Europe was a long time ago. And like everyone else back then, we bought “Europe through the Backdoor” by Rick Steves and started making plans. And what plans they were – eight cities in 18 days. We flew into Amsterdam, caught a train the next morning for Heidelberg, went to Paris, then took an overnight train to Rome.

By the time we got there, six days later, we were absolutely exhausted. Our immune systems said “enough,” and we caught colds. Our three days in Rome were spent in bed. And there was still Florence, Venice, Lucerne, Brussels, and Amsterdam to go.

Allow plenty of time to poke around.

We spent most of our time packing and unpacking, getting to train stations, and riding trains. Fortunately, we ignored Rick’s travel advice and reserved our hotels in advance. Otherwise, we’d have spent our remaining time in Europe looking for places to stay.

We’ve taken dozens of trips since then, and each one has gotten more leisurely. Where two-night stays used to be the norm, we now try to stay at least three nights wherever we go. And very rarely do we schedule a one-night stand.

The other thing we’ve done is shorten the distance between destinations. On our recent trip to the South of France, we stayed in Arles, Avignon, and Aix – cities which are less than a couple of hours from each other, but all distinctly different. We really enjoyed not having to get up at the crack of dawn on travel days, having a long, leisurely lunch in one of the towns en route, and still arriving in the next city in time for a glass of wine on the plaza.

There’s plenty of travel advice and trip planning tips on this site. But if you only take away one thing, make it this – the more places you try to see, the less you’ll enjoy your vacation.

Pick a compact area that interests you. Spend several nights in each place. And let yourself sleep in, putter in antique shops, and linger over meals.

Get off the freeway Image Flickr: hans s
Allow plenty of time to poke around Image Flickr: Bob Doran

St. Peter's Square

It was harder than I thought it would be, because she only has ten days. And there are so many great places to see in Italy that narrowing it down is a real challenge.

My first tip was not to bite off more than she could chew. On your first trip, you want to see as much as possible. It’s only natural. But the less time you spend traveling, the more you’ll enjoy your trip. So we decided that with ten days, she should only stay in three places. That way, she’d only have two travel days.

Traveling in Italy is pretty easy. But the trains don’t always run on time, and repacking your bags and moving from one hotel to another is always more time-consuming than you think it will be. So when planning a trip to Italy, bear that in mind.

The most convenient and affordable air service is into Rome, so I suggested that she spend the first four nights there. She’ll be pretty jet laggy, and staying put for a few days will help her keep from getting exhausted. Besides, no one ever has enough time in Rome.

Gondola Ride

Here’s the itinerary we roughed out:

Day 1. Arrive Rome. Check into Teatropace 33, near Piazza Navona. Afternoon stroll to Piazza Navona, Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, and Spanish Steps. Dinner near Piazza Navona.

Day 2. Rome. AM visit to Campo de Fiori, then explore ancient Rome — Imperial Forum, Colosseum, and Roman Forum. Afternoon shopping. Dinner near Campo de Fiori.

Day 3. Rome. AM visit to Vatican Museums, St. Peter’s, and Castel Sant’Angelo. Afternoon at Acqua Madre Spa or shopping for antiques on Via dei Coronari. Dinner in Trastevere.

Day 4: Rome. Gallerie Borghese, or cooking class, or side trip to Tivoli, or side trip to Ostia Antica.

Bridge of Sighs

Day 6: Florence. Early AM visit to Accademia. Visit to Duomo and Baptistery. Afternoon shopping.

Day 7: Florence. Day trip to Siena or Lucca.

Day 8: Two-hour train from Florence to Venice. Check into Locanda Orseolo. Afternoon tours of St. Mark’s Basilica and Doge’s Palace.

Day 9: Venice. AM visit to Lido or Murano. Then art museums, churches, or shopping. Evening gondola ride.

Day 10: Home

By keeping the number of cities to a minimum, she’ll spend the least amount of time hauling bags and waiting for trains. And she’ll have plenty of time to sample the gelato, go into all the irresistible shops, and linger over a glass of wine in the piazza.

Read more about travel to Italy here.

Eiffel Tower

Over the years, we’ve discovered many trip planning ideas to make your next Paris vacation more rewarding – whether it’s your first visit, or your fortieth.

Here are our top ten tips for enjoying Paris like a local:

1) If you want to use the Velib free bicycle system, bring an American Express card. Most European countries have switched to chip-and-PIN credit cards, also known as Smart Cards. Your U.S.-issued Visa or Mastercard probably won’t work in the Velib kiosks, which is really irritating if you planned on getting around the city by bicycle. Your magnetic stripe card will still work with most card readers, though the person waiting on you in a store or restaurant may not know it. Ask them politely to swipe your card and follow the instructions on the terminal. Your card probably won’t work at kiosks for train tickets, etc. and you’ll have to wait in line for service.

2) Wouldn’t it be great if you had cool, foodie friends who lived in Paris and were having you for dinner at their place. Hidden Kitchen is the next best thing. If you’re lucky enough to score reservations, you can enjoy a 10-course tasting menu with wine pairings at the home of food consultants Laura and Braden. Dinners are served on Saturday and Sunday nights. The menu is finalized on the day of the dinner, depending on what’s best at the market. But past menus have included roasted sea bass, crispy pork belly, or skillet-fried polenta with braised wild mushrooms. Visit www.hkmenus.com for more info.

Pages Jaunes

3) When you know where you’ll be staying in Paris, it’s helpful to find restaurants, shops, and other services nearby. One of the handiest and most comprehensive sources of information is the Paris Yellow Pages, or Pages Jaunes. Although the site is in French, it’s pretty easy to figure out, and you should be brushing up on your French anyway. Just enter what you’re looking for, such as restaurants, and then enter the address of your hotel. You’ll get a list and an accompanying map. But that’s just the start. Click on “vue aerienne” and you’ll see the establishment from the air. To see it from street level, click “Photo.” You can also get detailed maps and directions in the “Itineraire” section. It’s a great tool for getting your bearings before you leave home. Make http://www.pagesjaunes.fr part of your trip planning strategy.

4) Speaking of places to stay in Paris, why not opt for something completely different and stay aboard a beautifully restored 1916 Dutch barge. Bateau Simpatico is moored on Quai Suffren right beneath the Eiffel Tower. Owner Bob Abrams rents the barge by the week to lucky travelers who enjoy the best of both worlds — being right in the heart of Paris, yet having their own little slice of heaven floating on the Seine. The barge has a fully outfitted kitchen, a washing machine, and everything you need for a perfect week in Paris. Pick up some wine and cheese at the market, the relax up on deck and watch the sightseeing boats go by. When you turn in for the night, you’ll be gently rocked to sleep. Visit http://www.quai48parisvacation.com for more information.

5) When we lay out our travel wardrobe, black features prominently. It goes with virtually everything, doesn’t show stains or wrinkles, and won’t get dirty the first time you wear it – unless you take a stroll through the gardens of Paris. Most of Paris’s garden paths, and the ones that run parallel to the Champs Elysees aren’t paved. And they’re very dusty. A quick stroll down one of these romantic lanes will completely trash the black slacks you planned to wear to dinner. Be advised, and wear khaki instead.

Fouquet’s Jewelry Store in the Musee Carnavalet

7) Berthillon has long been lauded as the best ice cream in Paris. But our pick is just down the rue Saint-Louis-en-l’Ile on the Ile Saint Louis. Amorino specializes in ice creams you might find in Rome — zabaglione, hazelnut, amoretto — and it’s every bit as good. If you’re not going to the Ile Saint Louis, don’t despair. There are twelve Amorinos throughout the city.

8) Paris is a city that deserves a fantastic soundtrack. And Radio France FIP supplies it. On any given night, you’ll hear music from the 1930s to the present, from all over the world. Jazz, R&B, Brazilian, Cuban, blues, chill, and classical — everything but advertising. To get inspired, listen online at http://sites.radiofrance.fr/chaines/fip/endirect/index.php while you’re planning your trip.

9) After a week of fabulous French food, we start to crave something with big, bold flavors. And a sloppy, gloppy falafel from L’as du Fallafel in the Marais is just the ticket. The fried, chickpea patties are folded into a pita and topped with hummus, fried eggplant, pickled cabbage, salted cukes, and some not-too-spicy harissa.

10) Taxidermy has never been high on our list of interests — until we went to Deyrolle. Established in 1831, Deyrolle is located on Rue du Bac in the 7th. In addition to stuffed lions, tigers, zebras — there’s even a trotting elephant — there are shells, insects, ostrich eggs, butterflies, and rare minerals. It’s like an incredible, free museum of natural history that you can do in a fraction of the time. Only in Paris.

Read more trip planning articles here.

Read more articles about travel in France here.

Best Travel Sites

Do a Google search for “travel,” and you’ll see that there are nearly 800 million sites on the topic.

So how do you know which travel sites can actually help you with your trip planning, and which ones you should check out first?

If you read Trip planning basics – three key questions to ask yourself before you plan a trip, you probably have some idea where you want to go.   So figuring out how much it will cost to get there is a good first step.

There are several sites that compare airfares, but a couple are head and shoulders above the rest.  For airfare within or originating in the United States, Kayak.com is hard to beat.  Not only do they list fares for virtually all domestic carriers, when you click on the fare you want, you’ll be routed directly to the airline’s website for booking.

A calendar showing fares by date makes it’s easy to see how much you could save by traveling midweek or going a earlier or later than planned.

Sidestep.com is another excellent airfare comparison site.  It pulls information from over 600 airlines.

You may have heard about the ridiculously cheap airfare in Europe — sometimes it costs as little as $2 to fly from London to Italy.  There are plenty of hidden charges, but if you’re flexible and traveling light, they can still be a bargain.

Dohop.com is the best place to find these deals.  It lists fares for EasyJet, Ryanair, and other discount airlines.   Just be sure to read all the fine print before booking.  Last time we looked, Ryanair led the industry in customer complaints.

Recently, the airlines have begun charging for advance seat assignments and exit-row seats.  Before you pay for the privilege, you should probably visit Seatexpert.com or Seatguru.com.   Either one will help you find the most desirable seats on your flight.

Once you have your flights figured out, or at least know how much to budget, you can start researching hotels.

Many people love tripadvisor.com.  In fact, it has over 25 million user-generated hotels reviews.   We use it to get ideas, but the couple of times we’ve reserved hotels based exclusively on tripadvisor, we’ve been disappointed.  Not everyone has the same taste, so even though tripadvisor users think a place is great, you could still hate it.

If you do find a hotel on tripadvisor that interests you, look for a professional recommendation before you book.  Fodors.com and Frommers.com both provide objective, professional reviews.

Venere.com is a great travel site for European hotels.  It represents lots of small inns that you won’t find on bigger sites.

When you’ve chosen a hotel and you’re ready to book, don’t waste a lot of time comparing prices.  Two or three parent companies own most of the hotel booking sites, so prices don’t vary much.  If you find a room for a lot less, make sure you’re comparing apples to apples.  Rates can vary a lot by room type.

Many sites now require payment upfront for the best available rate.  And often, these rates are nonrefundable.  So read the terms and conditions carefully, especially the cancellation policy.

And before you make your reservations, be sure to contact the hotel directly – especially if you’re making your plans at the last minute.  They’re often willing to negotiate.  They usually don’t require prepayment except in high-demand periods.  And their cancellation policy is usually more liberal.

With a place to stay and a way to get there, all the heavy lifting is done.  The next phase of trip planning is figuring out what to do when you get there.  For advice on that, read Travel planning tips to help you save time, reduce hassles, and make the most of your vacation.

Read more travel advice here.

Airplane window image Flickr: contraption