After visiting over 40 countries, there are 5 things I’ll never do while traveling

I usually do plenty of research and have a rough idea of what I want to do or see on a trip, but I also leave room for spontaneity.

Some of my best travel experiences have been impromptu.

One of my favorite examples of this approach was when my husband and I took a road trip from Paris to Andorra with our son. Instead of planning where we’d stop along the way, we asked locals for recommendations.

In Paris, someone from the car hire company recommended we visit Loches, a medieval town in the Loire Valley.

We took their advice and spent the afternoon walking around its gardens, checking out a chateau, and eating pizza in the local park. It was magical.

The next day, we asked a server where she’d recommend staying within three or four hours south of where we were. She suggested Rocamadour, a small clifftop village.

We absolutely loved walking through the cobblestone streets, exploring its religious sites, and listening to the church bells in the morning.

When I was in my 20s, I had a few bad experiences while sleeping at airports and vowed never to do it again.

In one instance, my partner and I were on a late-night layover at the Miami airport and decided to sleep on the floor rather than pay for a hotel. Our luggage had been checked through to our destination, so we only had the clothes we were wearing.

I remember being so cold that I alternated between wearing my socks on my feet and over my hands for hours. I never want to experience that again.

Now, I always book accommodations if I have a layover that’s over six hours.

Traveling with someone who only wants to eat at five-star restaurants is an incredibly frustrating experience. Not only does your budget take a hit, but also you miss out on experiencing authentic local cuisine (which is usually the tastiest).

Some of the most delicious flavors I’ve tried were from street-food vendors or humble kitchens.

My favorites include the fresh takeaway ceviche in Panama City, the brothy pho soups straight out of a caldron on the sidewalks of Vietnam, and the sauteed fiddlehead ferns and chili-cheese dishes at homestays in Bhutan.

There’s nothing worse than arriving in a foreign country and having no idea where you’re staying, especially at night.

We made this mistake once in Rome. Instead of booking a hotel in advance, we thought we’d wing it.

Ultimately, we found ourselves walking the streets at night, trying to find a place to sleep after everything was closed. It was stressful.

These days, I make sure I at least have a place to sleep booked for my first night. If I think I’ll be tired when I arrive, I ensure the accommodations are as close to the airport as possible.

I love getting off the beaten path when possible and exploring places outside the ones on fridge magnets.

For example, on a recent trip to Bhutan, the highlight was visiting Laya, a remote highlander village at an altitude of over 12,500 feet,

Because there are no roads leading there, we had to hike in and out. I enjoyed that experience so much more than looking at religious monuments in the more touristy areas of Paro and Thimphu.

I’ve found the same to be true in other countries. The places unaffected by mass tourism often stick with me the most.