What a wonderful topic. And I thought I was the only one who enjoyed wondering aimlessly exploring the city.

It always surprises me how many people spent their vacations without ever leaving their hotel or spending most of the time shopping and going to bars and clubs. Do you really have to fly across the atlantic when you can do all that at home?!

My advice is to PREPARE THOROUGHLY before your trip. I usually spend at least a month planning each day. I never take vacations longer than 10 days, so I can't waste any time. I disagree with avoiding tourist spots -- most of them are worth seeing -- that's WHY they are tourist spots. But on the other hand, I don't spend too much time inside museums, etc. I usually leave the hotel at around 10 a.m. and don't come back until 10 p.m., with short breaks for lunch, dinner. By the end of the vacation, I'm completely exhausted, but have memories to last a whole year.

Incidentally, I often go travelling with my parents, who are in their late 50's. My mom, who rarely goes to the gym at home, gets so excited about seeing everything, I can hardly keep up with her.