I LOVE to travel. I wish I had money to travel this year. Airplane travel is a pain but anything is worth getting to experience a new place.
Forget what guide books say. They sometimes strongly advise not looking like a tourist so you can blend in, supposedly safer. No matter how cool you are everyone knows you aren't a local. Waste of effort. You want to wear a fanny pack. Go for it. Be comfortable and sensible. Pretending you aren't lost is more wasted time.
Big European guidebook warning was never let stranger help you with your bags on or off a train. Author must have never attempted to get two large heavy bags, heavy laptop, over 60 mother, carry ons, and self on a train in the Netherlands. They stop for only a few minutes and take off whether you are in or not. At first I got nervous when random Dutch man grabbed one of the big suitcases and threw it onboard. I quickly realized it was pretty much a necessity. I always kept laptop bag and purse. But otherwise I would pretty much heave the heaviest bag at the strongest looking man or woman for loading or unloading. Lessons learned: 1. Dutch trains pull in and out of stations very quickly. 2. Dutch people are incredibly kind, good humored, and willing to help out especially tourists struggling to dead lift a giant suitcase. 3. The longer the trip, the more I kept hoping someone would steal one or both of heavy suitcases filled with stinky dirty laundry.