Rick Steves Just Told Us His Top Travel Mistakes to Avoid — and His Best Piece of Travel Advice

Rick Steves never checks a bag when traveling — and he strongly encourages all of his fellow globetrotters to do the same.

“It’s more important than ever to travel light,” he said. “Two weeks, two months, man, woman, winter, summer, it doesn’t matter, you just need a carry-on bag.”

Steves is known for his popular European guidebooks, tour company Rick Steves’ Europe, and public television travel show. As a professional international traveler, Steves is an expert at avoiding common travel mistakes like lost luggage, overbooked restaurants, and crowded sights.

While a few travel problems are sometimes inevitable, Steves advocates for flexibility, which is at the core of his travel philosophy. In a recent interview with Travel + Leisure, Steves shared some of his best tips to help alleviate frequent travel issues and reduce trip anxiety.

Pack Light and Skip Tight Connections

Besides the occasional need to pack his hiking poles, Steves is adamant that travelers should only bring along a carry-on bag. Every year, Rick Steves’ Europe takes 30,000 people on small-group tours, and all travelers are limited to just a carry-on — no checked luggage allowed. 

Carry-on luggage is less likely to get stolen, lost, or broken, and Steves also loves that it helps with flexibility — you can easily switch flights without worrying about leaving your whole wardrobe behind. Plus, he said, if you are worried about limited space, packing cubes are a worthwhile investment to help organize and compress clothes in a smaller bag.

Steves is also a proponent of scheduling airline connections with plenty of time, especially for international trips. For instance, U.S. travelers visiting countries in the European Schengen Zone have to go through passport control when arriving in their first Schengen country. So, if your final destination is Greece, but your layover is in Germany, make sure the connection timing in Germany accounts for the possibility of long immigration lines.

Book Your Top Reservations, Then Go With the Flow

More at

https://www.travelandleisure.com/rick-steves-tips-to-avoid-common-travel-issues-7367914

It is still challenging though with permitted carry ons getting smaller and smaller. And I don't think Rick Steves has ever explained how many pairs of underwear and socks to take, how often to change it and how to wash and dry it.

True, though he does have some good ideas.

I agree.