The dollar isn’t worth as much as it once was, so if you are planning on taking a vacation this year you’ll want to plan wisely. You have to not only consider the places you want to see but the things you’ll take with you, where you’ll eat, and what to avoid as well. Here are a few things you should absolutely do, buy, and avoid during your travels this year.

Do: Visit Lake Placid (New York)

Image credit: Mendhak

In upstate New York you’ll find Lake Placid, one of the prettiest lake shores in the entire state. In the Lake Placid area you’ll find quiet forests, spectacular camping opportunities, and a few beautiful resorts. In the winter you’ll enjoy skiing and in the summer you’ll find swimming and fishing to be great pastimes as well.

Do: Skydive near Mount Everest (Nepal)

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Get yourself in touch with Skydive Everest if you’d like to skydive in the Himalayas. This trip isn’t for those who don’t have a few dollars to throw around, but it’s a once in a lifetime experience you won’t want to pass up if you can actually afford it.

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Skydiving here costs around $36,000 and up and both amateur and experienced skydivers can participate. Part of the proceeds will go towards the Global Angels charity for children.

Do: Buy Yourself a High-Tech Laptop

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A good high-tech laptop will be small enough to carry with you without adding more than a couple of pounds to your baggage. The MSI Wind, for example, weighs only a little over 2.5 pounds and includes a keyboard only a bit smaller than full size. There’s also a webcam that makes it easy for you to stay in touch with home, whether you’re traveling on business or for leisure.

Do Not: Eat Casu Marzu

*Do not watch this if you’re squeamish.

Just writing about Casu Marzu turns my stomach a bit. This strange cheese is a Sardinian delicacy. It’s made out of maggots and goat’s milk that has been left to rot. Avoid this cheese at all costs. You’ll end up eating live larvae and (surprise, surprise) the human body doesn’t really know how to digest them. In some instances they are able to bore through the small intestine causing a series of nasty side effects we won’t mention here. Would you be surprised to hear this cheese is illegal in most parts of the world?

Do: Stay at The Palazzo in Las Vegas (Nevada)

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The Palazzo is one of the newest and largest additions to the Las Vegas strip. The resort is as tall vertically as it is wide, making space for over 3,000 individual rooms, each as spacious as you’d expect from a luxury resort in Sin City. You don’t have to leave the hotel at all if you don’t want to. The 100,000 square foot casino offers plenty of entertainment and the Canyon Ranch SpaClub spans another 134,000 square feet.

Do: Visit Taupo (New Zealand)

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If you’re a fan of the Lord of the Rings Trilogy and saw the movies than you actually saw the slopes of Mount Ngaurahoe in the movie (they played the role of Mount Doom). The Black Land was played by the surrounding volcanic fields. The landscapes in Taupo aren’t all dark and dreary, though. You’ll find the Waikato River, Huka Falls, and several other spectacular sites glowing in turquoise, green, and ochre.

Do: Snorkel or Swim in the Spring Holes (Florida)

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In central Florida you’ll find a series of freshwater basins fed by the area’s natural springs. The end result is one of the clearest freshwater snorkeling spots in the world where fish, manatees, and even alligators love to roam. Two favorites are Silver Glen Springs in Ocala National Forest and Blue Spring State Park. In the first you’ll see tons of incredible fish species and in the latter you’re almost guaranteed to see a manatee.

Do Not: Visit the Fangtastic Rattlesnake Hunt (Oklahoma)

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We don’t recommend heading towards the annual rattlesnake festival unless you’re really skilled or have great aim. Otherwise, you might be better off visiting a local restaurant if you really need to taste rattlesnake meat. There are prizes for those who catch the largest snakes, as well as for those who catch the most. These are skills we’re just not willing to attempt developing, so we’re going to stay away from this one on general principle.

There are plenty of incredible sights to see around the world, which should more than make up for the one or two you really need to avoid. Use caution when planning your trips to ensure that you’re not only getting the best bang for your buck but the most excitement possible, too. And remember – if the cheese looks like it is alive, don’t eat it!