by Bri Kennedy

Created on: March 04, 2007   Last Updated: April 17, 2007

Don't want to get sucked into a "tourist trap?" Choose your destination wisely and do a little research ahead of time. This will ensure that your vacation money will be well spent on a memorable journey.

DO YOUR HOMEWORK

Reading up on the place you are visiting will help you to decide if this particular destination is right for you. Where I live in Arizona, there are many "tourist attractions" that are really tourist traps. Meteor crater is one example. About 20 miles north of where I live, there is a big hole in the ground that costs $20 a person to see. Meteor crater is the site where a meteor hit the earth, so it is literally just a big hole with a gift shop next to it. It's far enough north that there's nothing else up there and it's far enough off the freeway that tourists are likely to just pay the $20 so as not to have come all this way for nothing. A little research on the web will save you a day and $20. Why not go to the Grand Canyon instead?

CHOOSE A DESTINATION WITH A LOT TO SEE

While a destination like meteor crater may offer little more than 20 minutes of amusement, a trip to the Louvre or the Art Institute of Chicago will offer more than you can take in a day. Choose destinations that will enrich your soul and that offer more than you can possibly take in. It is far better to leave a vacation spot feeling that you needed far more time to really enjoy it than to leave feeling like you ran out of things to do on the first day.

PLAN ACTIVITIES BEYOND EATING AND SLEEPING

Most vacation planners book a flight, a hotel, and a rental car and leave the rest to chance. Planning a few activities ahead of time and making reservations for these activities will ensure that they are available on the days that you travel and that you will be able to get in. Also, look into some local favorites when it comes time to eat. It's much better to do a little research into this ahead of time rather than to drive around looking for a place to eat only to end up at Denny's.

With a little advance planning, you and your family can avoid the disappointment of being sucked into another tourist trap.

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