Tip Tuesday: Take your time

Welcome to another Tip Tuesday!

Raise your hand if this sounds familiar: You've just made it to (pick a park) and you just HAVE to get to that must-do popular attraction, so you race (walk, don't run) through the park to get that fastpass or jump into a short queue and you're off on another commando-style day.

It's OK to admit it, I know I've done this plenty of times. It's hard not to. But what do you miss by racing down Main Street, through Future World, up Hollywood Boulevard, and across the Oasis? You miss a lot!

This week's tip is pretty obvious, but it's one we tend to overlook in our eagerness to get to the next big attraction -- and that is TAKE YOUR TIME.

There are so many little details that are truly incredible when you actually take the time to find and see them. One thing I try to do during each trip is to sit by the Fountain of Nations and just enjoy a few minutes of that incredible Innoventions music. I also enjoy a slow stroll down Main Street looking at each of the windows to see familiar names and the clever ways Imagineers have been immortalized in glass. Hollywood Boulevard (and Sunset Blvd.) are great places to slowly window shop and get into the Hollywood that never was. The Oasis is a beautiful entrance to Animal Kingdom with a wonderful waterfall in the center and a cave that I have particularly fond memories of from my first trip to Animal Kingdom (there was this big thunderstorm... you can figure out the rest).

This applies not only for the "main drags" into each park, but around the parks as well. Take your time as you walk around World Showcase and the lands of the Magic Kingdom. You might be surprised at what you find and how much less-stressful your overall visit will be. Don't worry, you can still get to those big attractions. Besides, you may want to leave a few things for the next trip (and if you're like me, there will always be a next trip.)

So take it easy out there and enjoy the sights, sounds and even smells of Walt Disney World.