I recently had the opportunity to meet up with some friends in Paris. I gotta confess—I don’t love Paris the way some people do. I like it just fine, but I sometimes feel it’s a bit overrated compared to other lovely cities in Europe. I’d been to Paris twice before, and I wasn’t sure what I’d find to do that wouldn’t just be a repeat of previous visits. But I was pleasantly surprised.

If you’ve ever scrolled through travel blogs or flipped through a guidebook, you’ve probably noticed how many “rules” there are about how to travel. What to see, when to go, what to pack, how to act. After years of exploring Europe, I’ve learned that the best trips often happen when I ignore some of that advice and do what feels right for me.

Here are a few so-called “rules” I’ve happily broken—and why you might want to, too.

Rick Steves has introduced millions of Americans to the joys of European travel, and his guidebooks remain some of the best resources for understanding a destination’s history, art, and culture. But as with any expert, it’s important to adapt his advice to your own travel style.