Happy Holidays

Tropical beaches, country cottages, city breaks or trekking – we all have our own unique preferences for a holiday.

However, one thing all holidays do share in common is their potential to cause us considerable stress if our planning isn’t up to scratch.

With the summer holiday season upon us, I want to share some basic organisation tips to make sure your holiday is hassle-free.

Because our choice of holiday is as individual as we are, there’s no single format that will work for everyone – the prep for a week in Penzance will differ just a tad from the level of planning needed for two months in the Amazonian rainforests!

That said, there are some general pointers that should see you off to a trouble free break.

1. The Home Guard

Make sure that anyone who needs to know you are away, is aware of this – leave a contact number (your own mobile if your destination makes that possible, or else a trusted neighbour, family member or friend) – if you rent, it might be worth dropping your landlord or agent a line to let them know you’ll be away.

Ensure that the account you pay bills from has enough funds in it to cover any Direct Debits that are scheduled for utilities and other fees while you’re away – you don’t want to return home to a disconnection, and/or a load of penalty charges and angry letters from your bank.

2. Look After You

Medical care is expensive. Outside the UK healthcare is a consumer luxury, with a price label to match.

Check that you have the right insurance for your trip, and don’t forget to read the fine print before you sign, as well as checking that any activities (horse-riding, skiing, bungee-jumping) that you may want to take up are fully covered.

3. Your Health Is Valuable

Make sure that you’re vaccinated if appropriate, and stocked up with any medications you may need (and the appropriate documents to prove that they are for your personal use, and are on prescription) – you’ll find plenty of info at the NHS website FitForTravel including a rundown on what kind of first aid kit to carry.

Be wise – tailor your needs to your destination, take one moment to assume the worst, knowing that you’ll then have done everything you can to assure a safe and happy holiday.

4. Claim Your Baggage

Opinions vary on the wisdom of putting your own home address on your external luggage tags – I vote for putting a trusted friend/family member, and that way if your luggage gets divorced from your person en route, the worst that will happen is someone you know will be contacted to let them know it’s floating loose.

In practice, luggage that can’t be traced to an owner is auctioned after 3 months in the UK, so including as many details as you can means you have a better chance of reclaiming your property should the airline, airport or other transportation make a major error.

5. Be There Now

Imagine for a moment the kind of things you’ll be doing when you’re on your holiday – will you be eating out in classy restaurants, hiking up a mountain, or maybe milking a yak?

Plan your clothing and accessories appropriately – be realistic about the amount of clothes you need, consider that you may buy local clothing or accessories while you’re at your destination, and always allow for the downsides of travel – too cold, too muddy, or too wet.

Next week I’ll be looking at getting organised for a fuss-free journey, smart souvenir hunting – and how to beat the post-holiday blues when you return home.