Sometimes it's best to jump ship.

When you're on vacation, time is your most valuable commodity. And you hate to waste a minute of it on something that‘s not enjoyable. Over the years, we've learned that sometimes, you're better off cutting your losses.

Like the time we asked our concierge to arrange tickets for a flamenco show, only to find ourselves near the train station, in a bad part of Seville, crammed seat to seat next to 500 other tourists who arrived by tour bus.

We looked at each other, said, "We don't have to do this," and grabbed the next taxi which took us to El Arenal, an intimate little Flamenco club a short walk from our hotel.

They generously squeezed us into the end table just before the show began. What started out as a nightmare, ended up being one of our best memories of Spain. The next day we explained the situation to our concierge and he refunded our tickets. Note to self - don't always trust the concierge to make an impartial recommendation.

Another time, we arrived at the Paris hotel that was included with our barge cruise and found a disagreeable desk clerk and an unacceptable room.

We hit the streets and found a great room a block away with a balcony overlooking the Louvre, Tuileries, and the Eiffel Tower. Because the facade was under construction, the price was right too.

In that situation, we had to eat the cost of the original room, but it was well worth it.

Over the years, we've fled restaurants, guided tours, folkloric performances, Vegas-style reviews, and wine-tastings. And we've always ended up doing something much more to our liking.

When you're on vacation and you end up wishing you were somewhere else, make it so.