The year was 2014. I was standing in a parking lot in the outskirts of Paris, duffle bag in hand, waiting for the Megabus to arrive. My destination? Amsterdam.

I learned two important lessons from this trip:

1) Don’t take an overnight bus because you’ll get NO sleep.

and

2) Don’t underestimate how much time you should spend in Amsterdam.

I spent two days in Amsterdam, hastily going through a checklist of things to do: take a photo on the I Am Amsterdam sign, ride a bike, walk through the Red Light District. Then, departure time came, and I moved on to the next city. On my way back home, couldn’t help but feel like I had missed out on so many things.

When WOW Airlines announced that they were offering discounted flights to select European destinations next year, I told myself not to look at the pricing. Most of the time, these deals go through a few major US airports (cough New York, California cough). I get my hopes up, see there’s no option for me, disappointment ensues. I held strong for a few weeks…then I caved. I had to know! Cheap flights are my weakness!

As I scrolled through the list of airports on WOW’s site, something caught my eye. DTW. Was that Detroit? Seriously, a discounted international flight through DETROIT? Temptation won. In Summer 2018, I’m revisiting Amsterdam!

Right off the bat, there are a few things I’m doing differently this time around. This is my second chance, my rebound.

• Location, Location, Location – I will not budge on this. Staying in or near the city center is essential. I cheaped out on my last visit and stayed 30 minutes outside the city. I spent a lot of time walking through a Lidl parking lot and waiting for public transit. Not exactly my favorite way to spend a vacation.
• Trying local food – I enjoy food, and I like trying new foods, so I’m not sure why I didn’t even have gouda last time I was in Amsterdam?! I didn’t even try the most fun food to pronounce, stroopwafels. I’m disappointed to admit, I don’t even remember what I ate last time I was there.
• Make the most of my time  – I don’t need to experience every museum or visit every tourist attraction. It’s ok not to have a checklist. Take it slow. At this point, I’m worried less about seeing everything, and spending more time doing things I want to do.

Now, here’s to six months of preparation – and getting it right this time!