@Alexia Mihalitsianos Same. Cartel, 15 year old with an AK47, Prison from "Locked Up Abroad", it was a thing........

Worst travel advice I ever followed? Easy—I turned it into a whole playbook for what not to do. 😅✈️ 1. “Take the upgrade, it’s a Mercedes!” 🚗💸 Turns out my “upgrade” was a land yacht that barely fit in European parking garages and medieval streets.The car I originally booked probably could’ve fit in the trunk of the Mercedes, and I paid more for the privilege of sweating every turn and hunting for XXL parking spots.Lesson: Always question the upgrade—if it doesn’t match the trip (tiny roads, tight cities, basic transport needs), it’s not an upgrade, it’s a vanity tax. 2. “Traveler’s checks are the safest way to carry money.” 💼💸🚫 As a broke kid wandering around Germany, I converted most of my precious cash into traveler’s checks… and then discovered no one actually wanted them.This was pre-ATM (at least for me), so I basically walked around with Monopoly money while trying to pay real-world prices.Lesson: In today’s world, use a fee-friendly debit/credit card, keep a bit of local cash, and never lock your whole trip into a payment method nobody uses. 3. “Priceline is a great deal!” 🎲🛫 Sure—if you enjoy collecting layovers like souvenirs.One glorious “deal” turned into four legs to get from Richmond, VA to Mobile, AL, plus a hotel that swore my reservation never existed and wouldn’t help because it was booked through a third party.I saved a few bucks and spent it all on time, stress, and airport food. 🍔😑Lesson: Sometimes paying a bit more to book direct is actually the better “deal.” What I learned by doing the opposite 🧠✨ - Loyalty matters more than roulette-style “deals.” When you align your spend with one airline, one hotel chain, and one car rental brand, you earn status, better treatment, and faster problem-solving. - Direct bookings give you leverage. “I booked directly with you” hits very differently than “So, I used a random third-party site at 2 a.m…”. - Upgrades and hacks are only good if they serve your real goal: smoother, safer, more confident travel—not just a shinier logo on the key fob or a lower number on the checkout screen.

I agree it always worth the call. If you have an AMEX card, they offer policy where you sign up your card and then for roughly $25 a rental, you have full coverage. That is not $25/ day, it is per rental. It is automatic after you sign up provides full coverage. I have travelled through Europe and the Caribbean, extensively. The Caribbean is the place where I tend to buy the extra coverage from the rental company as they do not adhere to the US and European policies. What has your experience been?

Going to be great! You are going to kill it. I am excited.

Italy is one of my favorites. Love it.

Travel is the thing that keeps me most alive. It is the discovery of a new place, culture or people. It is an education on somewhere and something new. It creates space in imagination and my heart. As Mark Twain wisely said: "Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime."