Travel likes and dislikes

My wife and I just got back from a two week trip to Europe. We learned a lot about what we like and dislike. Here are the bullet points:

Location:

• Stick to places where English is the primary language. We were surprised how stressful it was to be in France and Italy, even though restaurants/stores/hotels always had someone who spoke English.
• Visit small towns and villages over big cities. More on this in Activities below.
• Go somewhere walkable (preferable) or with good public transit, so we don’t need a car or a taxi to get around.

Timing:

• If we can swing it, 50-65 degree weather is great, whatever time of year that is in any given place. Sight seeing when it’s in the 30s just isn’t as fun, even though it’s less crowded.
• Take one week trips. Turns out, two weeks is just too long.
• Spend 2-3 days per city, so we can visit 3ish cities per trip. One day means you’re moving around too much which is exhausting, and 4+ days is boring and feels like a missed opportunity.

Lodging

• Always go with a hotel over Airbnb, even though it’s often more expensive.
• Must have room service and continental breakfast. Those two things can make all the difference sometimes.

Activities 

• No museums. Call me uncultured but I just can’t force myself to care very much about what I’m seeing in museums.
• No guided tours. Self guided or bust.
• Focus on scenery, nature, and views. The standout moments from our trip were the moments with the best views, not the best museums or architecture or restaurants.