Yep, I’m a travel advisor. Yep, I absolutely love what I do.
But that doesn’t mean I’m here to sugarcoat things.
This series is all about the messy, frustrating, not-so-fun parts of travel that no one talks about on Instagram. If you’ve ever come home from a trip and felt like you needed another vacation… this post is for you.
Let’s set the scene.
You’ve got 7 days off and decide to finally “do Europe.”
You plan to hit London, hop over to Paris, and then somehow squeeze in Rome… because YOLO, right?
Here’s the thing—just because you can move around that fast doesn’t mean you should.
Travel isn’t about collecting stamps or checking boxes. It’s about slowing down enough to notice the smell of fresh bread on a side street in Paris. It’s about hearing the echo of your footsteps in a quiet Roman alleyway. It’s about experiencing a place, not just snapping a pic and moving on.
You know what I love most about travel? The unexpected stuff.
The spontaneous invite to a street party. The hole-in-the-wall café you find when your walking tour runs late. The new friends you make because you said yes to an unplanned dinner.
But when your itinerary is stacked back-to-back with tours, transfers, and dinner reservations in three different cities... you miss out on the magic. There’s no room for serendipity when you’re sprinting through your vacation like it’s a marathon.
Trust me, the best stories don’t come from the Google Sheet of your schedule. They come from the moments that weren’t even on the list.
Let’s check in. If any of these sound familiar, you may have fallen into the “do it all” trap:
You're more tired on vacation than you were at work
You’ve packed and unpacked 3 times in 4 days
You haven’t sat down for a slow meal since the airport
You’re annoyed instead of amazed at the places you’re visiting
You’re seeing the sights, but not feeling them
Look, I get it. You want to make the most of your time. But if you're rushing past the very reason you came in the first place... you’re kind of missing the point.
You don’t have to choose between total chaos and total boredom.
Here’s how to keep your trip feeling inspired and intentional:
🗓 Plan with purpose. Know what needs to be booked ahead (popular museums, key sights) and what can stay flexible.
🚆 Limit your stops. For 7 days in Europe, I recommend two main cities max—or three small towns if you're keeping it more local. If you’re dreaming of London, Paris and Rome, cool. But you’ll need two weeks and a nap.
🧠 Think like a local. Locals don’t “do” five cities in five days. They enjoy life slowly. You can too.
☕ Leave space. Build in buffer time. Let your afternoons breathe. You never know when you’ll want to follow the sound of a street musician or pop into a church that wasn't in the guidebook.
I’m not saying don’t plan—I'm just saying plan better. The key to avoiding burnout on vacation is having structure and space. Think: organized mornings, unplanned afternoons, and plenty of time to sit on a bench with a gelato and zero guilt.
Here are a few tools that help me and my clients stay on top of plans without doing the most:
✨ Travel Planner with Expense Tracker & Packing List
Prefer to write it all out? This physical planner helps you keep track of flights, hotel details, budgets, and packing lists in one place—no phone required. Perfect for visual folks who like crossing things off a list and remembering what they packed in which cube.
I love this app for keeping all your digital travel plans tidy. Forward your confirmation emails and boom—everything’s in one place. Great for those of us who love a color-coded itinerary without the manual labor.
💼 TripPlans App (exclusive for my clients!)
When you book your trip with me, you'll get access to your custom itinerary via the TripPlans app—available online and offline. That means no scrambling through emails or PDFs when you're on a train with bad Wi-Fi.
The most underrated travel essential. This prompted journal helps you slow down, reflect, and savor the trip in real time. Great for long flights, café breaks, or your “do nothing” afternoon in a hidden piazza.
✨ Schedule that “dolce far niente” time.
Use these tools to organize the essentials, then leave space for spontaneity. That’s where the real memories live.
Years ago, I found myself wandering through a quiet Italian town with no agenda and no expectations. I wasn’t trying to make it to a museum or a landmark. I just wandered. I walked into a tiny bookstore, sat on a terrace with a glass of wine, talked to a couple from Spain, and ended up sharing lunch with them two hours later.
No tickets. No reservations. No rush.
And honestly? That one “lazy” day made the trip.
Doing nothing isn’t a waste of time—it’s how you actually feel the place you’ve traveled so far to see.
You don’t need to fill every hour to justify the trip.
You already earned the vacation just by showing up.
So let’s ditch the burnout itinerary and build something better. Whether you're traveling solo or with someone special, your trip should leave you refreshed, inspired, and full of new stories—not exhaustion.
I'm Amneris (or you can call me Neri... all my friends do), a travel advisor and flight attendant who curates unforgettable trips across Europe and beyond. From solo getaways to romantic escapes and luxury cruises, I help busy professionals and adventure seekers travel well—with less stress and more joy. Ready to plan your next journey? Let’s chat.
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