Here’s a museum mistake that can waste the first half-hour of your visit before you’ve even seen an exhibit.
You arrive with your normal travel backpack.
Then you discover it isn’t allowed inside.
Now you’re looking for a locker, trying to find a coin, moving your camera and valuables into your pockets, or standing in another queue while everyone else heads into the galleries.
Before visiting a major museum, I now spend one minute checking the bag policy.
Look for:
- Maximum bag size
- Whether backpacks must be stored
- Whether lockers are available
- Whether lockers need coins or payment
- Rules for umbrellas, tripods and larger cameras
And if you’re travelling with luggage between hotels or before a flight, check this especially carefully. Many museums will not store suitcases at all.
One more useful trick:
Keep your phone, wallet, ticket, glasses and anything else you’ll want inside the museum together in a small pouch or pocket.
Then if your main bag has to go into a locker, you’re ready in seconds.
A museum day is much nicer when it starts in the first gallery — not in an argument with a locker.
