Mistake #7: Overpacking.

The admonition to "travel light" may be a cliché, but it's advice worth heeding--especially when you're traveling to Venice, where private transportation is expensive, vaporetto water buses are often jam-packed, and walking usually requires hauling your suitcases over at least a few of the city's 400+ footbridges.

If you're in a tour group, your bags are likely to be delivered to your hotel by the Cooperativa Trasbagagli Venezia, which transports luggage in bulk for travel companies. But as as independent traveler, you'll need to fend for yourself.

Our advice:

• Limit your baggage to one small upright suitcase of carry-on size, plus a lightweight backpack or tote.

• If Venice is just one of the cities on your trip and you insist on traveling around Italy or Europe with bulky luggage, take a small carry-on bag to your hotel in Venice and store your larger suitcase at the Piazzale Roma or Marco Polo Airport. (See our "Left Luggage" article for details.)

• If you're traveling heavy and you can't afford a water taxi, be prepared for long lines at the vaporetto ticket booths by the railroad station and the Piazzale Roma. Also, you may  be required to buy tickets for your luggage: According to ACTV, Venice's transit agency, you're allowed one bag with a combined length, width, and depth of 150 cm or 59 inches. If you go over that limit, your suitcase can be charged a full adult vaporetto fare.

• To witness other tourists struggling with their suitcases, watch our Venice Travel Blog video on The Perils of Overpacking.