A crucial step to maximizing your time overseas is to plan enough activities, while keeping a loose enough schedule to actually enjoy your travels.
Remember to take your time, it’s called holiday for a reason.
Overcrowding has gotten the best of many ambitious travelers so work to maintain a balance of local culture, sightseeing, and fun, while prioritizing which large and small activities you wish to partake in throughout your time in each city.
For example, visiting the Louvre and Chateau Versailles in the same day is possible, but both places take several hours to see, and possibly days to fully appreciate.
It is more enjoyable to see Versailles early, eat lunch at a nearby cafe, visit the Eiffel Tower on the return trip, and have an evening at The Moulin Rouge.
This will help to avoid overcrowding your schedule, which forces you to speed through things and takes away from the overall experience.
Identify which activities in your itinerary are large and small undertakings as well.
Anything that takes the majority of the day or is expensive, I categorize as a large activity. They typically involve excursions, opera, theater, some outdoor parks and sporting events to name a few.
Smaller activities take an hour or less to see. Cathedrals, museums, cultural stops, and other hidden gems you may find along the way belong in this grouping.
Being flexible with your activities may allow you to do more.
If it is nearby, sometimes it is best to reshuffle your plans, jump off the metro, and check it off you list, rather than spend the travel time to commute back at a later date.
Safe travels!
