Here are my suggestions. Don't take a nickle-and-dime attitude. The difference between counting the cost of everything and just being sensible is very little money and a huge amount of freedom. You can spend your whole time fussing about the cost of getting a 3-day museum pass in Paris, or you can spend the extra money and skip the long line of tourists waiting to get in. Your time is worth more.
It is true that a carry-on makes for faster traveling, but if the reason you are sticking with it is the cost ($50?) then you are worrying about the wrong thing. I will guess you will spend more than that on things you do not need.
Take a sense of humor. Traveling is a little stressful, but if you cannot laugh at missing a bus or making a wrong turn you are not ready to discover the joy hidden in the misadventure.
Take along a sense of wonder. Ugly Americans are those that carry with them a yardstick based on what they have at home. When you stop trying to see if the new places measure up to your expectations you will be amazed at wonderful new things.
Keep your loud voice at home. People in Austria who speak German do not understand English whether it is whispered or shouted. Americans are, in my opinion, louder than others except for drunk Italians.
Do not take a tight schedule. I know people who have a huge checklist for each day and rush around making sure they do it all. Sitting at a small, outside table looking up at the Alps in the Sud Tyrol for two hours - sipping a crisp Pinot Grigio - beats hitting four churches during the same time. You will remember the wine.
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