You’re not alone in being incapable of sleeping the night before you supposed to go abroad somewhere magical and tranquil! They say nothing easy is worth fighting for, and well, holidays to a degree certainly fall in line with this saying. As your holiday approaches, or perhaps you haven’t even booked it yet. You’re most likely already thinking about whether you’ll need a visa and how to apply for this. Where you should buy your holiday insurance from, and worrying about how much spending money you’ll need. Well, take a deep breath. To save instigating the holiday from hell, there are a lot of things you can put into motion before your holiday to take away the stress.
Finding Accommodation
Before you impulsively click the ‘book’ button, think twice. Each solo traveler, couple, and family have different requirements and expectations for their stay. But, what you don’t want is any nasty surprises that make you wish you never booked the place in the first instance. It’s scary sometimes how much some of us rely on fancy holiday images and descriptions. When in fact, we should expect that the full picture of the hotel or holiday home we like is not always fully exposed/detailed.
To avoid this, it’s simple, do your research. Trip advisor is your go-to guide in these situations. Here you can gauge real-life reviews from real-life people, with images too. But don’t get too hung up on every criticism either. Otherwise, you’ll never end up booking anywhere. Perhaps the swimming pool is under construction and wasn’t mentioned in the adverts, but this doesn’t bother you because you never take a dip anyway. Or maybe the food at the hotel isn’t great, but this doesn’t affect you because you’re planning to eat out anyway. And so be mindful of public opinion, however, take each review with a pinch of salt.
Visa Application
Depending on your destination, you may very well need to apply for a visa to travel. This is mostly dependant on your citizenship, whether you’ve had any previous criminal convictions and how long you are planning on staying in your holiday destination. Its a background check if you will, for the country you are holidaying in to verify you’re suitable for entry. And so, you should secure the documents you need to send such as your flight itinerary for visa application and of course, proof of your accommodation abroad.
Medical Requirements
For some destinations, it’s heavily advised that you book an appointment with your doctor for any relevant vaccinations. This is to avoid the risk of serious illnesses such as hepatitis, polio, and mumps. Which there is a risk of contracting in countries like Asia. And so you must check whether or not you need any injections sooner rather than later. Otherwise, you could risk the holiday from hell while you’re away!
Create A List
Before you jet off across the world, a packing list is essential for relieving your stress levels before and during the trip. There’s a common fear in the taxi to the airport that people experience. It’s that random moment that pops into your head reminding you of something you left behind. Providing it’s something silly like your toothbrush, then that’s fine! But if it’s your prescribed medication. Or your laptop so that you can check in with work, then your holiday from hell experience commences.
To prevent this from happening, making a list is necessary. But not only for what you need to pack in your case. It should also include your essential to-dos. Such as purchasing the automatic light timers, to switch on your lights when you’re abroad to deter burglars. And to find a cattery that has room on your holiday dates to house your furry friend, or alternatively see whether your pet can come with you abroad! There’s a lot to do, so write it down – preferably in digital form as notes on post-its are likely to go missing.
Holiday Spending Money
Your holiday isn’t the time you want to feel like you have to be super cautious about your spending. No doubt you’ll want money for a few cocktails by the beach, or a water skiing activity across the ocean and so ample cash is required. To save the stress of trying to find the money you’ll need for your holiday when it’s too late, create a savings account asap. And then make a standing order to leave your account each payday to build up your holiday fund. It’ll certainly take the strain off needing to desperately pawn your belongings a month before your due to fly away.
Holidaying should always be heavenly. However, the only way to achieve this is to plan ahead. From sussing out your accommodation to making sure you have your essentials with you. Checking off what you need to do in advance is sure to give you peace of mind.