Totally agree with this although it can make for a lot of traveling and covid has really shortened the time period for visiting for this year’s seniors. The only way to get the vibe of the school and to appreciate the logistics of getting there is to visit. My oldest is a senior this year, and some schools she was convinced she would hate went to the top of the list and vice versa after visits. She would have gone through the time consuming uc app for no good reaason had we not visited.
I wouldn’t worry about teasing or expectations from school friends. Just tell them it’s a trip to Boston or California.