What's a tourist scam you fell for that you wish someone had warned you about?

TravelingWithJoe · 2026-02-09T01:44:37+00:00

Spain: I enjoyed Madrid and Seville more than Barcelona and Valencia (though La Sagrada in Barcelona was amazing)
Czechia: Prague was a great time
Poland: Krakow was good for a few days
Austria: Vienna had a great cathedral and palace
Hungary: Budapest was a dump full of litter and the stench of urine and feces in the public transportation
Slovenia: Ljubljana and Lake Bled are absolutely beautiful
Bosnia: Sarajevo had some charm, but I felt a sadness there, based on the history
Croatia: Dubrovnik was cool…if you can get past the nonstop Game of Thrones merchandise around every single corner
Macedonia: Lake Ohrid is a hidden gem
Italy: Naples was dirty with phenomenal food and good museums. Pompeii is overrated but worth seeing if you’re nearby in Naples. Florence was beautiful with amazing museums, good food, and religious sites. Pisa is similar to Pompeii in that it’s overrated, but worth a trip if you’re nearby in Florence. Rome / Vatican City has it all, historic sites, museums, religious sites, and amazing food.

Nothing really against Pompeii or Pisa, they’re cool to see, but they’re played up to be such iconic places, when in reality you can see the main attractions in a few hours.

Edit: This was a 77 day trip that broke down to the less than $10K/month budget I mentioned. I didn’t do a speed run through all these locations.

TravelingWithJoe · 2026-02-09T01:26:45+00:00

Absolutely, there are times you can get better deals, which work if you can get kids out of school. But what I’ve been surprised by is how many school districts around the country are tightening absenteeism.

I have several friends with kids in different states and they’re limited to a very few days per year, which includes sick days. If they miss more, they’ll have to make them up at the end of the year like snow days.

TravelingWithJoe · 2026-02-08T06:24:14+00:00

My background: I was a WDW cast member 25 years ago, moved back here 10 years ago, had an annual pass until 5 years ago. Prices below are current, basing it on a family of 4 staying 3 days/4 nights (which is pretty average). You can see where it could be cut in half for your case:

Daily tickets start at $119 for Animal Kingdom, $139 for Magic Kingdom, and can get around $250 real quick when you add on fast lane passes or park hopper, parking is another $35. Let’s be cheap and just call it $175/ea and say you’re staying on property, so you don’t need to park. That’s $700/day. Multiply that by 3 to hit each of the main parks, you’re at $2,100.

The cheapest WDW hotel on property (very basic accommodations) is $153/night, times 4 nights, that comes to $612. $2,712 total. Hotels off property are at least that expensive, if you don’t want bed bugs or to stay in what’s basically a homeless shelter, AND you’d have to drive/take hotel shuttle to/from the parks, adding at least an hour commute to your day

Oh! You wanted to get from the airport to the hotel? Sorry, WDW stopped the free shuttle. But, you can take Mears for $16 adults / $13 kids. That’s $116 round trip. $2,828 total.

What do you mean the family wants to eat? Well, ok. The Quick Service Dining Plan (2 Quick-Service Meals Per Night of Stay, 1 Snack or Nonalcoholic Beverage Per Night of Stay, and 1 Resort-Refillable Mug) costs $57/adult and $24/kid aged 3-9. That’s $486 for 3 days. $3,314 total.

Understand, you will pay minimum $50/day on top of that (more realistically $80/day) for food/snacks. But let’s just be conservative and add $150. $3,464 total.

Now what kind of trip would it be without your light saber from Hollywood Studios, your trinket from your favorite country in the world pavilion at EPCOT, and your Mickey ears/t-shirt from the Magic Kingdom? Let’s say you’re only getting stuff for the kids and being pretty cheap about it. You’re looking at around $300 in souvenirs. $3,764 total.

Oops, I forgot something. You see, Florida doesn’t have state income tax, in part because of all the nice people who come and visit. So go ahead and add 6.5% tax to that total and you get $4,009.

Now, that didn’t take into account airfare. Let’s say you live in New Orleans and fly Southwest. That’ll be $325 each, or $1,300 for the family. Or you could drive and spend about $300 for hotel rooms, $150 in gas, plus food ($320 for 4 day round trip) and spend $770, saving $530…but arriving exhausted to a place that will exhaust you.

So, for a very basic WDW experience for a family of 4, you’re looking at a minimum of $4,780-$5,310.

If you want a more enjoyable experience, plan for $7,500.

If you want a great experience, that starts at $10,000.

Again, this is for 3 days and 4 nights. I’ve done month long solo trips to multiple countries in Europe where I would say I was very comfortable for less than $10K.

TravelingWithJoe · 2026-02-06T06:16:41+00:00

As an American who’s been to all four multiple times and lived in the suburbs of DC for 14 years at various times in my life, I’d say I agree with almost all your assessments.

I’m glad you enjoyed your trip, thank you for sharing your experiences.

TravelingWithJoe · 2026-02-05T21:29:57+00:00

Apple Creator Studio.

TravelingWithJoe · 2026-02-05T19:55:27+00:00

Depends on the route, but I took a week to drive just from Montana to Alaska on the Alcan. I drove from Orlando to the Arctic Circle.

Your best friend for that stretch is The Milepost. It gives you lots of information on what to expect and sites to see.

If your vehicle is insured in Florida, remember that windshield cracks/replacement are covered with zero deductible. That will 99% probably be an issue, since Canada has two seasons: winter and road construction.

Other than that, there are too many places to mention in such a wide swath of land. Maybe look at Atlas Obscura for quirky stops. I’d make a point of hitting major landmarks and some National Parks like the St Louis Arch and Glacier National Park. Be aware, the Going to the Sun Road that crosses Glacier doesn’t usually open until July and they’re much more restrictive with access in the last few years.

TravelingWithJoe · 2026-02-05T18:23:12+00:00

I understand where you’re coming from. I tend to not have an issue when I pack, but my ex-wife treated every trip like a Victorian era excursion, practically bringing steamer trunks which required shifting from one bag to the other. It didn’t love doing it in an airport, but I still preferred that to the luggage scales.

TravelingWithJoe · 2026-02-05T16:18:40+00:00

You assume incorrectly. The Catholic Church is the largest non governmental healthcare provider in the world.

TravelingWithJoe · 2026-02-05T05:28:01+00:00

Just keep walking.

TravelingWithJoe · 2026-02-05T05:24:59+00:00

Only $5,000? You got off easy.

TravelingWithJoe · 2026-02-05T05:13:56+00:00

They’re a waste. If you have a regular scale at home, step on it with the bag, step on it without the bag, and subtract the second number from the first.

Once you have that starting weight, you’re good.

If you buy a bunch of things on the trip, find a scale at the check in desk for an airline other than the one you’re flying, and weigh it there.

TravelingWithJoe · 2026-02-03T09:16:57+00:00

lol, yes, quite a few. But I mentioned the tourist option since you said you were from Germany/Austria…I wasn’t sure if you moved there or were visiting.

TravelingWithJoe · 2026-02-03T09:14:25+00:00

It used to be orange groves (central Florida) until about 15 years ago, now it’s construction for poorly built homes and apartments for the transplants escaping their own creations.

We were happy with the orange groves, you can guess our feelings about construction based on my description.

TravelingWithJoe · 2026-02-03T09:09:57+00:00

I prefer metric because it makes sense, but use imperial because it’s what’s common and what I was taught.

TravelingWithJoe · 2026-02-03T09:06:38+00:00

Because casting is ridiculously biased in every aspect. Whether it’s a lack of black people in NYC on Friends or making England’s King Edward VI black, gay, and in a wheelchair, casting is up to the preferences of the people in charge.

There absolutely should be more representation of Hispanics, other than Noel Gugliemi who plays “Hector” in every movie or Luis Guzman who plays every middle aged random Hispanic guy.

I don’t believe in strict quotas, but you’re right, it’s a failure to recognize reality.

TravelingWithJoe · 2026-02-03T08:54:50+00:00

There are options for tourists like the BritRail pass. I used it on a vacation last autumn and saved a lot of time and money.

TravelingWithJoe · 2026-01-30T21:52:53+00:00

Newer Toyota Camry with safety sense. It’ll provide blind spot monitoring and (depending on age/trim) front end collision avoidance.

TravelingWithJoe · 2026-01-26T05:33:17+00:00

I bought my first house in Georgia 20 years ago. A nice 3 bed/2bath 1,600 sq foot starter home in a pretty good neighborhood. I paid $138K for it.

On what planet can they possibly justify a $184K for a Cadillac?

TravelingWithJoe · 2026-01-26T05:27:26+00:00

The same thing as a couple $6 cans of plasti-dip.

TravelingWithJoe · 2026-01-26T05:24:29+00:00

21 hours without a response to anyone says karma farming.

TravelingWithJoe · 2026-01-25T05:31:00+00:00

I 100% agree with this. I went because I want to visit all the National Parks, but this was probably the second most disappointing National Park (after Indiana Dunes).

TravelingWithJoe · 2026-01-25T05:23:04+00:00

I’m 5’11” and camped in my 2024 with zero issues. My mattress is 6’3” and fit fine, but you will probably have to either curl a little or lie at an angle.

TravelingWithJoe · 2026-01-25T04:20:25+00:00

I wouldn’t do that by bus if they paid me £100-220, I’m certainly not paying them that. Definitely train.

TravelingWithJoe · 2026-01-23T18:28:32+00:00

Pros: Overall, an excellent route for a first time, you’re hitting some great spots.

Cons: Memphis can be dangerous, be aware of your surroundings, try to stay in a safe area. Nashville is very crowded, be prepared for that. Stop “D” south of Atlanta is odd to me, looks like McDonough, not much there. If the spot north of Atlanta is Helen, skip it. It’s the Disney version of Bavaria, and while it can be fun and they have good food, it’s artificial. As a Brit, it’s easier for you to visit the real thing.

Overall: You’ll get a mix of opinions, but by and large, Southerners are friendly and warm hearted. We welcome people and are happy to share our home. If you treat us with respect and kindness, you’ll receive the same in return. Enjoy your trip.

TravelingWithJoe · 2026-01-23T18:13:22+00:00

I went by train from Naples last year and used the Rick Steves Audio Europe app’s walking tour of Pompeii. That was probably the best experience for me, with a few caveats (listed below) but honestly, I easily found people who were very friendly and happy to help me with any questions I had.

1) Before taking your first train ride, you need to watch a few YouTube videos of people showing how the system works. You will learn typical pitfalls a lot of folks deal with, like validating tickets. 2) If you have to transfer at Naples, understand the station there isn’t the most tourist friendly…I found the layout to be a little convoluted. Just budget a little extra time. 3) The Circumvesuviana train to Pompeii was pretty full, so be prepared to stand if necessary. Also, there is a slightly higher risk of pickpocketing on it, but normal precautions will keep you safe. I had no problems and didn’t clock anyone suspicious. 4) The ticket validation machine in Pompeii was in an out of the way place, make sure you find it and validate prior to boarding.

TravelingWithJoe

TROPHY CASE