Rick Steves' Eye-Opening Tip To Make The Most Of Your European Vacation

Travelers know the feeling of landing in a new location, tired and bleary-eyed from a long overnight flight, all too well. As you take your first steps outside the airport terminal, you scan the area for transport into the city center. Glancing at your watch, you check the bus schedule and see that the next one doesn't come for an hour. Ugh! The lineup of taxis is looking very tempting, albeit more expensive than the bus. But according to an eye-opening tip from travel legend Rick Steves, it may be worth the splurge to make the most of your European vacation.

With more than a few tips up his sleeves on how to save time, money, and have more fun while exploring Europe, in a blog post, Steves writes that with a limited amount of time available while traveling, it's imperative to treat each moment like you would a dollar in your bank account. Mentioning that while he's a "huge fan of Europe's public transportation," he stresses that sometimes the amount of time wasted isn't worth saving a few bucks, saying, "But time, like money, is a limited and valuable resource that needs to be spent smartly. When I'm short on time, a taxi ride that gets me quickly to my destination beats out a long, cheap bus ride."

After decades of exploring the European continent and providing other travelers with ways to keep money in their pockets, like flying "open-jaws" when traveling Europe or buying consolidator tickets from airlines to save money on overseas flights, Steves is known to offer practical advice, especially when it involves making the most out of the time that we spend abroad, and the money in our wallets.

Entrepreneur Jim Rohn once said: "Time is more [valuable] than money. You can get more money, but you cannot get more time." Unless working as a digital nomad, most travelers we meet on the road are using their precious PTO days away from their cubicles, giving them a short window of time to travel, so making the most of those allotted days is crucial, and saving money in the process combines the best of both worlds.

In a separate blog post discussing cheap travel tricks, Rick Steves urges travelers not to waste time while on vacation, especially when it comes down to waiting in excruciatingly long lines to enter an attraction. "Know the simple tricks of avoiding museum lines," he writes. "You'll find two IQs among tourists: those waiting in lines and those walking right by them because they made an entry appointment or have a museum pass that lets them go right in."

As a frequent traveler, I have a strong dislike for waiting in line, unless it's to enter a legendary Portuguese diner once graced by the late, great Anthony Bourdain. That's my one and only exception, and yes, it was worth the wait. Otherwise, lines and I simply don't get along. That's why I'm a big advocate for picking up a city card whenever the destination offers one. Most give you 24, 48, or 72 hours of money and time-saving perks like skipping the lines at major attractions, plus discounts on tickets, restaurants, and even public transit. It's the best way to stretch your travel budget while freeing up extra time to explore, minimizing any chance of FOMO along the way.