Holiday mood! But remember the sensible extras …

Ole, ole! It’s a holiday!

Summer fun is just around the corner, and it’s time to grab that sun lotion and your funkiest hat, and get yourself down to the beach!

Don’t you just love summer holidays? Forgetting all your cares, basking in bright sunshine, and enjoying all the fun of a vibrant resort – bliss!

It’s very easy to get carried away with the wardrobe planning, researching where to go, and trying to get that pre-holiday bikini body in order, but don’t forget to think about your travel plans first!

First things first – insure that holiday! Obviously we hope nothing goes wrong, and we certainly hope you don’t end up with your leg in plaster, but in the event of you needing to see a doctor, then insurance will be your lucky star, and then some. Medical attention is expensive abroad, even if you’re heading to an EU country and you have an EHIC card, not everything is covered, so purchase your holiday insurance from Holiday Extras in good time, and then you don’t have to think about it again. I tend to go for a middle of the road policy, not the all singing, all dancing one, and not the most bargain basement one either, and then I figure that you’re adequately covered, unless you’re planning on doing any dangerous sports, in which case you need to look into it a little more.

How are you going to get to the airport? You need to get booking your tickets, booking your parking space if you’re driving, and making sure you get there in time for check-in to open.

Do you know what your luggage allowance is?

These are all questions you need to ask yourself, and sort out well before you go.

In the week or so leading up to your travel day, I’d recommend looking at your airport’s real-time information, to get your terminal information, and plan your travel day accordingly. Next week, I will be religiously checking information on Bristol Airport departures, to get important flight information, plus the fun stuff, like eating, drinking, and of course, shopping facilities at my terminal. Travel has to be fun too, remember!

If you’ve booked a package holiday, your flight, transfer and accommodation will already be sorted out for you, and all you need to remember is your tickets or booklet, depending on the way in which your travel agency work. If you’re doing the DIY holiday route, i.e. you’ve booked it all separately, then remember to print out all the different confirmations, and keep the emails in your inbox, just in case you lose any, and that way you can re-print without fuss.

When you’re firmly in holiday mood, all excited, and rightly so, it’s easy to forget the small details, which can become a huge deal. Settle for a moment, and follow this advice, and your holiday will be a thoroughly enjoyable and very smooth one.