The whole trip seemed straightforward enough, so I booked an apartment in Venice a week before my flight, and I asked absolutely ZERO questions about what would happen after getting off the plane. In fact, I should have done more research — so here are five things you should know (and I figured out on the fly) before you book a trip to Venice.

In my travels, I've certainly had the I-can't-believe-I-spent-money-on-that regret, but I've also had experiences that had me ready to turn around and buy another ticket the same day. Below are five of the experiences I'd pay to do again and again.

The story about that time I camped with someone I'd only known for a few weeks on an island I'd never visited, as someone who had only ever been camping once.

You've heard it on every travel page you've ever seen, so I can't say you heard it here first, but maybe I can say now you've heard it from someone you trust: Albania needs to be on your bucket list.