To help you make sure you don’t suffer any of the many pitfalls associated with a holiday away, here are eight elements you need to be on top of.
The coronavirus pandemic has created more than enough heartache and hardship for most of us, but the good news is that we are now starting to return to some level of normality, and that means you may well be finally planning a well-earned break.
The first trip after these two years of being cooped up will be one you may well have been considering for some time. Now the trip is very much on the horizon, and it’s time to make sure it all goes swimmingly.
The mere mention of a ‘dream holiday’ can conjure up a sense of wonder and excitement for some; for others, the concept may fill them with dread, fear, and anxiety. Let’s face it, when it comes to holidays of any type of length, they are something we look forward to a great deal, and that brings with it an element of unease.
You want things to be perfect, and that means planning. To help you make sure you don’t suffer any of the many pitfalls associated with a holiday away, here are eight elements you need to be on top of.
Look for flight deals that cut costs but don’t create chaos
A dream holiday, or in fact any vacation, is an expensive undertaking, and one element that takes up a large chunk of your budget are the flights. Take the time to research the options you have here, as you don’t necessarily have to stick with one or two particular airlines.
Do your research and maybe check flight comparison sites to come up with a cost-effective travel plan, but don’t book a deal just because it costs the least, especially if it means being stuck in an airport waiting for a connection. There is a happy medium to strike here.
Make sure your hotel is ideal for your needs
If you are going on a family holiday, make sure the hotel you book is family-friendly but don’t just take the hotel’s website word on the matter. Read reviews to ascertain if they really do cater to children of all ages.
Conversely, if it’s a romantic getaway for two, make sure the hotel suits your needs and is ideal for excursions nearby and perhaps one that has lots of amenities on-site, such as a high-quality restaurant and pool as you may want to spend as much time together as possible in your expensive suite.
Book everything in advance
This should be a given, but if it’s not, then it should be. Be sure to have everything booked long in advance, from hotels and flights to car hire and any activities you have planned. If you attempt to do things without making sure you have the relevant tickets and bookings covered, then you can expect things to cost more and also quite likely become unavailable.
Making sure your home is secure
Traveling overseas while having the peace of mind knowing that your house and your belongings are safe and sound is hugely comforting. So you’ll want to make sure your place is secure.
If you don’t already have a good alarm system, check out Alarm New England and set something up before you lock up and take the taxi to the airport. The number of house robberies that take place when the occupants are away for a prolonged period is big, and you don’t want to give thieves an easy time of it.
Create an itinerary
While it may not be all that romantic or spontaneous, creating an itinerary that lays out what you can do on each day of your holiday will help you make sure you don’t miss out on any great adventures.
This is all the more relevant if you are going on holiday with a young family where the name of the game is keeping your kids busy and entertained.
Set a budget
A holiday, especially a dream holiday, is going to cost a decent amount of money, and that’s to be expected. However, make sure to have a budget in place for the entire endeavor as you don’t want to overstretch yourself as this may well take the shine off the whole trip.
It’s worth noting that a dream holiday isn’t necessarily one that costs a large amount of money.
Get travel insurance
While it’s true that all forms of insurance are essentially a gamble, in other words, you are paying a sum and hoping for the right outcome; you should never travel without some level of coverage.
This becomes all the more relevant if you are traveling to certain destinations or, indeed, if you are taking multiple flights and a lot of personal belongings. In a perfect world, you’ll not have to claim back on the insurance because that will mean nothing untoward has occurred, but you can’t always bank on that eventuality.
Have fun
This last point is the most crucial. Don’t spend your holiday worrying about anything other than having fun. That means, above all, being in the moment. Don’t start to concern yourself about your next holiday, and don’t dwell on what can go wrong. The whole point of planning effectively ahead of the trip is that you are taking some of the potential uncertainties out of the equation, leaving you to just make the most of this precious time with your loved ones, enjoying a new world, its culture, and everything it has to offer you.
Tatiana is the news coordinator for TravelDailyNews Media Network (traveldailynews.gr, traveldailynews.com and traveldailynews.asia). Her role includes monitoring the hundreds of news sources of TravelDailyNews Media Network and skimming the most important according to our strategy.
She holds a Bachelor's degree in Communication & Mass Media from Panteion University of Political & Social Studies of Athens and she has been editor and editor-in-chief in various economic magazines and newspapers.
