Learn about the location

If you are planning on going to the Place de Concorde or St. Mark’s Square spend a bit of time doing a bit of homework.   Knowing that Marie Antoinette was beheaded at the Place de Concorde provides a little historical perspective that many people may not be aware.  You will see beyond the two beautiful fountains to know that it also has an Egyptian obelisk from the time of Ramses II and it had once stood before the temple of Luxor.

Every 5 minutes you spend reading will add much more to your appreciation when at the location, especially as most people only have a few days to try to cram as much in as possible.  So, knowing more beforehand is much nicer than learning afterward and wishing you would have taken the picture of that obelisk when you were there.

Take a virtual tour

Now you can take many virtual tours of locations often in 4K on YouTube.  I use these a lot to pre-walk the cities and many videos are annotated to tell you about key items on the tour.   I use these tours to understand what there is to see, and because I am using my treadmill it also helps get me in better shape to walk the city. I also like the convenience of stopping and starting again the next day or days until finished.  Often, they even show the route they are taking beforehand, so you can understand proximity of things you are seeing.  These can also help you plan your route to be efficient with your steps.

Whether you use google earth or pick up a laminated city guide (I like the Streetwise guides) have an idea of things you want to see and how to get there.  Planning your route can save lots of time asking questions when you get turned around.   It also allows for more time at the location for you to soak up the scenery and capture those photos.

Understand your limitations

I try to understand the limitations of my travel partners.   If people have mobility issues you need to plan accordingly with extra time, using taxis, and planned rest periods.  Many older cities don’t have elevators or escalators on every train/metro stop so be prepared for lots of stairs.   I actually think these stairs are what keep Europeans healthier than Americans, but they can be daunting for those with mobility issues.   Conversely, when I travel with my daughters, we go from sun up to sun down.  So, I am the one that needs to be prepared with comfortable shoes, clothes, and know the weather beforehand.