You may think that you’re doing everything right when you travel. You perused blog posts, found good deals and booked highly-rated tour packages. You’re going to have the time of your life, right? Well, maybe and maybe not. Nowadays, traveling is all about the authentic experience for explorers, not the tourist trap destinations packed to the gills with selfie-taking vacationers. We’re not saying you’ll have a bad time if you head to the iconic spots, we’re just saying that your travel experience could probably be enhanced a bit. Take a look at our list of the top three things you may be doing to sabotage your own relaxing getaway! 

1. When You Keep to Yourself & Your Friends 

Even if you’re the biggest introvert on the planet, you’re not doing yourself any favors on your vacation if you keep to yourself. One of the greatest parts of traveling is meeting new people from different cultures and backgrounds and swapping fun stories. You can get a better taste of a new place by engaging with the locals and picking their brains. Not only are they familiar with the area and can point you in the direction of good food, awesome deals and amazing times, but foreigners are often very helpful and inviting. More often than not, citizens of other countries are so happy to invite you over for a meal where you can discuss your different lifestyles and cultures. You may make a friend for life (or at the very least, some great memories) by stepping outside of your comfort zone and talking to someone new the next time you’re in a new destination! 

2. When You Over Plan Your Days 

We understand the saying “by failing to prepare, you are planning to fail” but we don’t think that phrase was meant for vacations. Even if you’re a Type A personality through and through, that doesn’t mean that you need to plan out every second of your vacation. Don’t get us wrong, it definitely pays to be organized and well-informed so that you can make the best choices with your time and money, but don’t go overboard planning out all of the minutia of your trip. It’s supposed to be a relaxing vacation so slow down a bit and allow yourself to unwind instead of adhering to an over-booked schedule. And remember that things don’t always go according to plan, (even if you have backup plans for your backup plans,) so the more flexibility you have with your itinerary, the less stressed you’ll be. Things will happen and sometimes you need to just ditch the whole schedule and wing it. And if you absolutely must schedule everything, try to pencil in a “free-for-all” day where nothing is set in stone. Sometimes, these days that have nothing planned are the best of days because they allow you to be spontaneous and do what you feel like doing on a particular day, or enjoy an event in the area that you didn’t know about beforehand. 

3. When You Drive or Uber Everywhere 

While we definitely think that part of the fun of a vacation is the opportunity to be lazy, be sparing with that laziness. One of the best traveling tips we received years ago was to walk around your destination as opposed to driving. If you want an authentic experience in a new location, you’re not going to get it by driving everywhere. You’re essentially robbing yourself of the ability to really see a destination for its true beauty and the details that make it what it is. Even in big cities, the real beauty is in the back alleyways and off-beaten paths that can only be walked. Not only will walking everywhere help you see a new destination in a different light, but you’ll also burn off some of the delicious food you’re partaking in and you’re bound to stumble across an amazing shop of some sort that you wouldn’t have discovered had you driven. If you don’t have the mobility to walk a locale, even public transportation is a better option than driving yourself because you can strike up conversations with nice natives and maybe meet a new friend.