How to Skip the Line on Your Next Vacation

No one enjoys waiting. Between the anticipation, the crowds and—especially if you’re waiting for a restaurant—the hunger, waiting in line is usually not a vacation highlight. The good news is that with a few travel hacks, you can skip the line, wait less and do more. Use these tips to navigate your next trip efficiently and minimize the time spent in long lines.

Have a taste of the Golden Gate City (San Francisco, California)

You can skip the lines and avoid spending precious hours waiting for the city’s culinary hot spots with a few tricks. Where wait times can top two hours, try showing up at opening time, such as at the century-old Swan Oyster Depot. Lines at this storied seafood joint are shortest Tuesdays through Thursdays in the middle of the afternoon, per SFGate. Want a slice from ultra-popular local eatery the Cheese Board Pizza Collective? Don’t let the line intimidate you—it moves faster than you’d think. Plus, if you’re ordering a vegan or gluten-free pie, it’s okay to walk up to the register and tell them you’re planning to order that so they can start firing up the specialty item while you return to your spot in line. Finally, get the delicious breakfast foods for which Dottie’s True Blue Cafe is known, but skip the line and the crowds by having your breakfast dishes in the afternoon—the line tends to shrink by 1:30 p.m.

Get a grand view (Williams, Arizona)

Beat the heat (and the crowds) by saving your Grand Canyon views for the winter.

The Grand Canyon is the national park of national parks. It’s one of those notoriously crowded sights you—and everyone else—simply must see at least once. So how does one take in its majesty without waiting for hours in the desert sun? Between March and September, skip the line entering the park and take the Tusayan Route Shuttle Bus. Be the early bird that gets the view and arrive before 9 a.m. or, if you have a little more time, travel into the heart of the canyon on a train. You can also catch gorgeous views and beat the lines (and heat) by going during the winter months.

See masterpieces, skylines and musicals (New York, New York)

You can’t visit The Big Apple without treating your senses to the Museum of Modern Art. You’ll never have this place to yourself, but you can avoid major crowds by not planning a trip too close to a major holiday. Check school calendars, too, as crowds will be thick on days that schools are closed. Want to see the city from the top of the Empire State Building? Buy your tickets online and show up early (it opens at 8 a.m.) or late (the 86th floor observatory closes at 2 a.m.) to spend less time in crowds and skip the line. If Broadway is your speed, many shows no longer require you to wait in line to try for a low-cost ticket through the ticket lottery. Nowadays, it’s digital.

See the light (Near Nags Head, North Carolina)

Want unbeatable ocean views? Take a self-guided climb to the top of Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, the tallest of three Outer Banks towers.

The Cape Hatteras Lighthouse is the tallest lighthouse in the nation and is one of the East Coast’s most recognizable landmarks—plus, you can climb it. The skinny metal stairs are the only way up (and down) and can accommodate only so many people in a day. Considering summer’s massive tourist influx to the Outer Banks (during peak summer months, this region’s daily population increases by 225,000 additional residents, which is more than six times its permanent population), there can be quite the bottleneck—both to drive up and down Hatteras Island and to see the lighthouse. To skip the line, the trick here is to show up either before or after peak summer months, so before June or after August. The lighthouse is open between mid-April and early October, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily, so plan your visit accordingly.

Ready to travel? Find hotels in San Francisco, Williams, New York, Nags Head.