I nodded my head to many of the tips here. Here are some that resonated the most:

  1. No complaining

The most significant criteria to use when selecting travel companions is: do they complain or not, even when complaints are justified? No complaining! Complaints are for the debriefing afterwards when travel is over.

  1. Travel light

Your enjoyment of a trip will be inversely related to the weight of your luggage.

  1. Do fewer things

The hard-to-accept truth is that it is far better to spend more time in a few places than a little time in a bunch of places.

  1. Eat where the locals eat

my rule of thumb is to eat wherever healthy-looking locals eat. You can get an inexpensive and authentic meal near a famous tourist spot simply by walking at least five blocks away from the epicenter.

  1. Location matters

Whenever possible I book my hotel near to where it is best to walk, so I can stroll out the door and begin to wander.

  1. Slow down

Slow down. Take lots of breaks. The most memorable moments—conversations with amazing strangers, an invite inside, a hidden artwork—will usually happen when you are not moving.

  1. 10-day trips

We’ve also learned that this intensity works best if we aim for 12 days away from home. That means 10 days for in-country experience, plus a travel day (or two) on each end. We’ve found from doing this many times, with many travelers of all ages and interests, 14 days on the ground is two days too many. There seems to be a natural lull at about 10 days of intense kinetic travel. People start to tune out a bit. So we cut it there and use the other days to come and go and soften the transitions. On the other hand 8 days feels like the momentum is cut short. So 10 days of intensity, and 12 days in a country is what we aim for.

Regarding #5 above (location), I have come to like Booking.com’s location rating to decide where to stay at. In cities, I prefer locations with good public transport options, walking distance to restaurants and supermarkets, and close to attractions. When in Rome, I put on my shoes and went running near the Colloseum. When in Venice, we just went wandering among the alleys after dinner. When in Florence, we stayed a bit far from the city and didn’t like our stay though the place itself was great.