Rome needs more time than its size suggests, because the Colosseum and the Vatican are half day commitments rather than stops on a walking route. What each day actually buys you, the timed ticket problem that catches first visitors, and how the season changes the answer.
Copenhagen is compact, flat and organised, which makes a short visit efficient rather than rushed. What three days cover, why cost usually decides the length of the trip rather than the sights, how to eat well for a fraction of restaurant prices, and when the season matters more than the itinerary.
Athens is smaller on foot than its sprawl suggests, and the ancient sites cluster tightly enough that two days genuinely covers them. How the heat changes the answer, why the first Acropolis slot matters more than anywhere else in Europe, and when a third day is worth it.
London is roughly ten times the area of Paris within its inner ring, which makes travel time the constraint rather than the number of attractions. How to divide four days by geography, why free national museums change the arithmetic, and the authorisation you now need before you fly.
Venice is small enough to walk end to end in an hour, which misleads people into booking a day trip. Why two nights beats one long day, how the access fee changes the arithmetic on around 60 peak dates in 2026, and the registration step that catches even exempt visitors.
No rule stops you checking a laptop, yet the FAA advises against it and airlines limit liability for electronics in the hold. A look at the lithium battery rules, why cargo compartments are the concern, what happens when a cabin bag is gate checked, and when checking a machine is defensible.
Solid food passes screening without a quantity limit, while anything you can spread or pour falls under the 3.4 ounce liquids rule. A food by food guide to what clears the checkpoint, the grey areas officers judge differently, the baby food exemption and the powder threshold.
The four inch rule is measured from the pivot point rather than end to end, which is why a large looking pair can comply while a compact one fails. What clears the checkpoint, what belongs in the hold, the substitutes worth carrying instead and how the threshold changes abroad.
Perfume is one of the few items where the checked baggage rules matter as much as the carry-on ones, because fragrance is flammable and falls under FAA limits in the hold. Bottle sizes, the aggregate toiletry allowance, how the duty free exemption really works and why an atomiser solves all of it.
Carry-on size limits have not changed, but enforcement has, with automated sizers now flagging bags that passed by eye for years. What a gate check actually costs, the difference between voluntary and forced checking, and what has to come out of the bag before it goes to the hold.
