It used to happen often in the pre-COVID-19 world: You'd get back from a holiday and a friend or colleague decides that the day of your return is the best day to give you advice about the city you'd visited. Of course they didn't think to tell you before you went.
Well, here are five of those tips for four different places around the world, and one general tip for travellers no matter where you are going.
Paris
Every iconic photo of Paris has one thing in common and it's usually right slap bang in the centre of the image: The Eiffel Tower is without a doubt one of the world's most well known tourist attractions.
While it's possible to snap shots of the tower from pretty much anywhere, the worst place you can take a photo of the tower from is... up the tower.
You may get great photos of Paris from up there, but will they really look like Paris without the Eiffel Tower in the middle?
One of the best spots to get photos of Paris from is the top of the Arc de Triomphe. It is essentially a giant roundabout at the end of the famous Champs-Élysées, so take the underground path to get to it. From there you can see the Eiffel Tower and the rest of Paris.
Go at sunset for the added bonus of seeing the city with a sunset low. Then, once it's dark, a light show begins on the Eiffel Tower. Again, something you wouldn't really see if you were up it.
Buckingham Palace
On television it quite rightly looks like one of the most regal and impressive buildings in the world, after all it is the official residence of her majesty The Queen.
In the most polite of ways, I'd say lower your expectations before you visit. The building itself is very gray and concrete like. If it's an overcast or rainy day, it can look rather depressing.
When taking photos, try and include some of the amazing gardens located around the mall, or the water statue that's front and centre between the palace and The Mall.
If you are a fan of the Queen and being close to royalty, then here are a couple more tips.
Check which flag is flying on the palace when you visit. If it's the Royal Standard, then you're somewhat in luck as it means the Queen is in residence. If however the Union Jack is flying then - the Queen is currently staying somewhere else, such as Windsor or Sandringham.
Finally, for the ultimate experience of pageantry, history and royal magic, book your visit around 'Trooping the Colour'; an event barely known in New Zealand, but one that is very much worth watching in person. Plus, you do get to see the actual Queen.
Empire State Building
The top of Empire State Building has featured in so many films and TV shows that it should really get a lifetime achievement award from the Emmy Awards and Oscars.
From King Kong in 1933 to Sleepless in Seattle in 1993, its presence is well established in the entertainment world.
However, much like the Eiffel Tower in Paris, many people make the mistake of going up the Empire State Building to get photos of New York. If you want to experience heading to the top of the Empire State, then by all means go for it. But if you want your snaps to look more classic New York, then head to 'Top of the Rock' at Rockefeller Plaza, or 30 Rock as it's known on television.
It's from here you will look directly down Manhattan Island and the Empire State Building will be looking right back at you. Some people say that it's at this moment in that location that they "finally feel like they're in New York".
Los Angeles
On the other side of America from the Big Apple is the massive west coast city of Los Angeles.
While some people say they dislike LA, the city is very much what you make of your time there. It's so big you really can experience just about anything, depending on where you go or stay.
But one key fact that Kiwis aren't often aware of and don't get told when they book their family holiday is that Disneyland is a long way from just about everything else.
If you are visiting just for Disneyland, then a hotel in Anaheim is fine; but don't base yourself there for longer than however many days you intend to visit the theme park, because as you can see in the picture below, other than the park and its motels, Anaheim is suburbia. There's no cute little shops to discover while out walking. Just petrol stations and pharmacies.
So if you are doing two days at Disneyland, make sure you change hotels after that.
Drive time from Anaheim to Hollywood is about 47 minutes when there's little or no traffic - in heavy traffic it can be hours.
Speaking of Hollywood, as for the Walk of Fame, either skip it or be prepared to be very disappointed.
Hollywood Boulevard is full of people trying whatever they can to get hustle money out of tourists. If your children want a photo with Spiderman, it could cost you US$10.
However, just a couple of blocks away are some of the most fun places I've ever visited in the US: Mama Shelter, the hotel, and a couple of second-hand music stores.
That area of Hollywood can be much cheaper to stay in than the more upmarket West Hollywood, too. From there you can easily Uber to other attractions like Universal Studios and Warner Brothers Studios.
In summary, do your homework and make yourself a Google Map.
Chill
This rule applies to any destination that involves a stopover. Taking a long-haul flight then getting straight onto another one is punishing to the brain and body.
After the first flight, the thought of a bed will be the stuff of dreams. Why not make it happen and discover a new city at the same time?
The first time I took my mum to the UK to visit family, we went from Auckland to London with a stopover of about five hours in Singapore. That's a very long time and it's no surprise that I slept for about 24 hours when we got to my grandparents house.
The next time we visited the UK a couple of years later, we added a stopover of two nights in Singapore both there and back. It was life-changing.
Boarding a second long-haul flight after a couple of days of downtime is a totally different experience, and it also makes the flight feel shorter.
At the same time, mum and I got to spend a couple of days in a city we had never been to. That in itself was worth doing the stopover.
Most airlines do some pretty amazing deals for such stopovers. On this particular trip, our booking included tickets to attractions in Singapore, a sightseeing bus and a room in a four-star hotel for around NZ$300 per person for two nights.
Do you have any special tips or tricks for destinations you've visited? Share them on our Newshub Travel Facebook group, or email them to travel@newshub.co.nz.
