Everyone wants to maximize their time on vacation. One way to make the most of that precious time is buying tickets for popular attractions in advance. In today’s connected world, you can buy tickets to many of the world’s most popular sites from the comfort of your home.

When searching, try to find the attraction’s official ticketing outlet instead of going through a third-party site. For example, there are many sites that resell tickets to the Uffizi but the official site is the best place to purchase tickets. The same is true for the Colosseum. 

In this piece, Rick Steves has even more advice about advance ticket purchases and avoiding long lines.

Buying advance tickets to museums and attractions in the US is just as easy and effective when it comes to making the most of your vacation time.

Sometimes it is worth an even larger fee to avoid the lines and have a guaranteed spot. For example, the Big Shot VIP passes for Preservation Hall run more than twice the normal admission yet you can avoid the lines and you are guaranteed a seat. If your time in New Orleans is limited, this extra money can easily give you an extra hour and it means that you have a seat for the show.

Before you next trip, do a little research and see what your pre-booking options might be.