Guest Senior Correspondent Marilyn McG, Tucson AZ: We recently went on a road trip with neighborhood friends, a one-week journey to a national park. My spouse and I agreed to pay for gasoline and our neighbors did the driving in their car.

Everything went well until we arrived at the hotel desk to check in. The clerk said our reservations were actually for the next day, and she wasn’t sure she could find us rooms for the night. Before she could say another word, our neighbors went into a loud fit of complaints and threats. Despite the fact that she showed us the computer printout proving we had arrived a day early, our neighbors kept up their harangue.

Of course, opinions and experience vary about the subject. Here are some of the more obvious locations where old Fagan’s advice, you've got to pick a pocket or two, seems most practiced.

Las Ramblas: Barcelona, Spain: The town’s famous wide, pedestrian walkway is full of life, music, and people at all hours of the day and night. It's the perfect place to get your purse, smartphone or wallet stolen. Enjoy yourself, but always be careful.

Rome, Italy  With its ancient buildings and astounding historical and cultural attractions, Rome is crowds of tourists and incredible things to sightsee. With thousands admiring the Trevi Fountain or the Pantheon, it's easy for pickpockets to lift a camera or purse with a quick snip of scissors or some clever handiwork with a zipper or button.

Whatever your age, get your shy and/or lazy butt out on the road, in the air or at sea as often as possible. The bar scene is most popular for making new friends, but it requires sorting out the baddies from the beauties.

Often, people who go to bars to meet singles aren't singles, just seeking some extramarital plural action. If the bar scene is where you want to hunt on your wanderings, just be sure to keep your guard up and play it safe.

The best places to meet singles are where activities are compatible with your own lifestyle, and where you're most likely to meet those with similar interests. If you're a bit of an egghead, the local coffee house offers stacks of similar souls.

(With apologies to Edgar Allen Poe)
On my next cruise, will I pay list price? Nevermore!
Will I revisit inns where not treated nice? Nevermore!
Will I bask too long under summer rays? Nevermore!
Will I load six helpings on my buffet trays? Nevermore!
Will I drive all night on my next car journey? Nevermore!
Then to be hauled off on a hospital gurney? Nevermore!
Will I tarry past midnight at hotel bars? Nevermore!
And awake next morning seeing stars? Nevermore!
Will I eat iffy food from a roadside stand? Nevermore!
Will I bet too much on my Vegas hand? Nevermore!

Will ignoring all the above be my encore?
You’re doggone right it will ... Evermore!