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!