If you are taking a vacation, once you are all booked up, planning the details of that trip can be an overwhelming task. It is difficult to know where to begin. With this in mind, we have created this list of holiday essentials, to ensure that you take care of the most important things before you travel, allowing you to get the most out of your holiday.
Leaving your home. With your holiday all booked up, one of the most important things is to make sure that you leave a key to your house with a trusted neighbour or family member. Any number of scenarios could play out while you are away, but knowing that there is someone looking after your property can be a huge weight off your shoulders.
Laws/customs for your area. When travelling anywhere abroad, it is imperative to first check that there are no quirky travel restrictions. You may not be able to take everything you would like into a foreign country, so it is best to check with your airline before you fly. In addition, it should go without saying that checking that the country you are visiting issues visas on arrival is a must; this will be the case for countries containing the most popular resorts, but it is still best to double-check.
Packing. This can be one of the most terrifying aspects of organising any kind of trip. There are so many things to remember, it is difficult to leave safe in the knowledge that you have everything you need. We have put together a checklist of the most essential items that you will need on both a sun holiday and a ski trip. Remember to vary the volume of each item you take, depending on the length of your trip. In addition, try to pack as lightly as possible; less is definitely more when it comes to packing.
Check out our packing lists further down the page!
Organise your currency. It can be tempting to leave this one until the last minute. It is, however, important to realise that if you are travelling to more exotic locations then your local currency exchange may not stock the currency that you require. If your local currency exchange needs to order your required currency, it is important to leave sufficient time for it to arrive. A little planning goes a long way to help your trip run smoothly.
Print out your travel itinerary. With the advent of e-tickets, there is a tendency to rely too heavily on technology when planning your trip. While on a majority of occasions, things will proceed as planned, it is important to print out your travel itinerary, tickets and reservations as a precaution. You never know when someone may request to see a hard copy.
Do not forget to pack your medications. If you do not normally leave home without certain medications, your holiday should be no different. Forgetting this one could be extremely detrimental to the enjoyment of your holiday.
Travel in comfortable clothes. Travelling in comfortable clothes should be a prerequisite for any holidaymaker. It is important to wear baggy and comfortable clothes, especially if you are taking a long-haul flight. The cabins on aircraft tend to get cold during the night, so take plenty of layers too.
Hand luggage. Whenever you travel, it is best to travel light and take as little hand luggage as possible. Items such as your passport, tickets and wallet are a given, but in addition to this consider taking the following: Spare layers of clothing, glasses case, spare contact lenses, telephone, keys, water, some snacks, toiletries (only 100ml of liquid max) and any medication you require.
Weight restrictions on check-in baggage. There is a lot that you must remember to take when you embark on a holiday, especially a skiing holiday, and the tendency for many people is to overpack. Before you start filling your check-in luggage with unnecessary items, make sure you check with your airline the maximum weight of luggage that you are allowed to check in. It can vary wildly between airlines and destinations, so doing your due diligence could be a real-time and cost saver.