Anthony Bourdain reveals four ways people ruin their holidays

‘Plans should be ephemeral'

If there’s one person who knows a thing or two about travel, it’s Anthony Bourdain.

The American TV presenter and chef spends almost 250 days each year globe-trotting for his show Parts Unknown, in addition to indulging in the occasional personal holiday.

And when it comes to planning a trip away, the wanderlust pro says that most of us are getting it wrong, spending too much time making plans we won’t stick to and indulging in unnecessary expenses.

Speaking to Money, Bourdain revealed a few of the biggest schoolboy errors that tourists are making.

Jam-packing your itinerary

When preparing for a trip abroad, it can be very easy to get carried away with the excitement of planning, scheduling every last moment from what you’ll eat at the breakfast buffet to which candlelit bar you’ll head to for a post-dinner digestif.

Bourdain strongly advises against planning your time in minute detail, explaining that tightly-packed schedules leave little room for spontaneity, which he hails as one of the prime joys of travelling as this allows you to discover untrodden paths and local treasures.

“The sort of frenzied compression of time needed to take the tour, to see the sights, keeps you in a bubble that prevents you from having magic happen to you,” he said.

“Plans should be ephemeral, so be prepared to move away from them.”

Relying too much on TripAdvisor

Rather than spending hours trawling through scathing reviews ahead of booking particular hotels and restaurants, Bourdain advises seeking out more specific review sites such as Eat Your World.

Rather than simply looking at what recommendations people have made, the TV host suggests writing fake posts claiming that you’ve just returned from a particular restaurant or hotel and had a wonderful meal or stay there, then you can make your judgement based on the comments that follow.

If it’s heavily-criticised, you’ll know to avoid it. However, if it’s praised by everyone, you’ll know it’s almost guaranteed to be good as it’s such a hit amongst past visitors.

Staying in fancy chain hotels

While Bourdain doesn’t advocate being too mercenary when it comes to choosing your accommodation, he suggests swapping expensive hotel chains for more unique boutique options or charming rented apartments that reflect the local culture.

“Old colonial hotels are a favourite,” he says.

Moving too quickly

Bourdain says too many of us are moving at lightning speed when we travel, eager to get to the next place without stopping to absorb the culture around us.

This prevents travellers from truly immersing themselves in a new place, he says:

“You can’t take it in, driving by stuff. That’s not satisfying.

“Don’t be afraid to just sit and watch.”