Guide to stress-free travelling
Here’s our guide to a stress-free trip, from Issue 68 of Holiday Villas Magazine
Love the holiday but hate the hassle of getting there?
Travel writer Gillian Thornton has 30 stress-busting tips
- Travelling by car to the Med? No need, then, for
minimalist packing, but have you packed everything
that’s legally required for your vehicle, such as spare
bulbs, a warning triangle, and a fluorescent yellow
vest? Check with the AA, RAC or your car insurers
before you travel. www.drivingabroad.co.uk
provides detailed info on the rules of the road in the
USA, Western Europe, South Africa and Australia.
And remember you’ll need a Green Card if you want
fully comprehensive cover while driving abroad. - You can save money by pre-booking your airport
parking. Off-site car parks are usually the best value,
but allow extra time to reach the terminal. Purple
Parking offer competitive off-site parking at almost
20 UK airports (www.purpleparking.com) or try the
British Airports Authority website, www.baa.com. - If you’re travelling by low-cost, no-frills airline, you
can save money by packing snacks for the journey
rather than buying at airport or airline prices. But don’t
forget that current security regulations about carrying
liquids mean that you will need to buy bottles of drink
once you have passed through security. - Check to see whether your villa owner or holiday
company includes the option of pre-booking a
welcome pack on arrival. If you’re arriving late or
have a long transfer time, the last thing you want to
do is head off in search of a supermarket. But it’s
always worth taking a few non-perishable essentials
such as tea, coffee, sugar, biscuits, dry pasta and a
sachet of pasta sauce. - If you’re planning on trying any adventure sports
such as paragliding, rafting or jetski, make sure that
your holiday insurance covers you. Better to pay a
small supplement than a big hospital bill. - Travelling within the European Union? Make sure
you all have a European Health Insurance Card,
which entitles you to free medical treatment. Full
details from your local Post Office. - Make two photocopies of your passport, driving
licence and travel insurance documents. Leave one
with friends or family at home and take the other
with you, keeping it separate from the originals. - Put one member of the party in charge of tickets
and passports, but give everyone a copy of essential
details such as villa address, directions for finding it
and contact phone numbers. - Cancel the milk and newspaper deliveries, and
ask a neighbour to keep watch for post or free
papers sticking out of the letterbox. If the house is
alarmed, make sure someone has a key to get in and
turn it off if necessary. - Check the five-day weather forecasts on the
internet before you travel, so you know whether to
take waterproofs or extra layers. - Know where you’re going. It sounds obvious, but
make sure you know exactly how to get to the
airport at this end (some people do actually go to the
wrong one!) and to your villa at the other. A bit of
pre-planning can save a lot of frayed nerves and
family arguments on the road. - Leave more time than you think you’ll need.
Better to sit at the airport over a snack or a good
book, than stuck in a traffic jam. Don’t underestimate
the time it can take to get through security checks in
peak season. - If your departure airport has more than one
terminal, check which one you need with your tour
operator or via the airport website.
Packing up
- If you’re travelling by air, eliminate the tedious wait
at baggage carousels by carrying hand luggage only,
especially when you’re travelling in the summer with
light clothes. But check hand baggage allowances
with your airline before you travel – weights and bag
sizes vary – remembering that you may want to bring
extra purchases home with you. Some airports and
airlines now allow two pieces of hand luggage while
others still enforce the one bag rule. - With tough security measures still in place, you can
only take liquids, gels and pastes in containers of up
to 100 ml in your hand luggage – with the exception
of baby food and baby milk – and these must be
packed in a re-sealable plastic bag no larger than 8” x
8”. Visit www.baa.com for the latest regulations. - Most people pack far too many clothes, so I advise
women to lay their holiday wardrobe out on the bed
and be ruthless about leaving things behind. Go for
coordinating items in neutral colours then jazz up
with a bright top or accessories. Don’t forget the
golden rule: work out how much clothing you think
you’ll need, then halve it; calculate how much
money you’ll spend, then double it. - Wherever possible, choose fabrics that don’t
crease, but remember that if you roll clothes rather
than fold them, they’ll come out looking far less
crumpled. Remember, too, that if you haven’t got it,
you can almost certainly buy it at your resort, and if
your villa has a washing machine, you’ll need to take
even fewer clothes. - Travel in your bulkiest pair of shoes, then pack a
pair of flip-flops and some lightweight shoes for
evening. Blister plasters are far less bulky than taking
extra footwear! - Carry a basic sponge bag, clean underwear and
swimwear in your hand luggage; if your luggage
goes to Costa Rica and you’ve gone to the Costa
Blanca, you can still enjoy a dip in your villa pool
and freshen up afterwards until your bags arrive.
Swop an outfit with a travelling companion so you’ve
both got something to wear if your luggage is
delayed. A sarong can be used in a multitude of ways
until your full wardrobe arrives – just ask David
Beckham!
Tags: travel checklist, travel guide