It’s that time of year again. Uni is out, holidays are definitely very much in. After a lovely month of work experience and with two trips to Malta and Copenhagen in the bag, I’m definitely overdue starting an important task. No, not my MA dissertation (help!), but ensuring you lovely Impact readers are in possession of all the holiday hints you need to have a fabulous time away. Most of these are common sense, but it’s always helpful to have a reminder!
1. Roll your clothes. It might sound silly, but rolling your clothes really does take up less space than if you simply fold and place/if your Mum does it for you. Best of all, it saves the need to take a travel iron with you/hanging your clothes in the bathroom to steam the creases out and then dropping them in the wet shower puddle on the floor/walking round looking like you’ve been dragged through a hedge backwards all week. For my week in Malta, I rolled my clothes and managed to fit a good quarter of my wardrobe in my tiny Ryanair-approved case. It works, folks.
“Don’t snog in Dubai”
2. Make sure you take your passport. Don’t forget it, or else you’re heading home to a lifetime of regret.
3. Ensure you have travel insurance. Definitely don’t forget it, or else you’re heading home to a lifetime of regret, and potentially a large hospital bill. Also if you’re travelling in Europe, make sure you have a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC). It’s free, and you can apply for it through the NHS before you travel. Do this a few weeks before to make sure it arrives in time for your trip.
4. Research the customs of the place you’re visiting. Don’t snog in Dubai else you’re getting arrested. Case in point.
“Always have the address on your phone”
5. Get to the airport in plenty of time. Also coming under this point is know where the hell you’re going. Know if there are any roadworks on the way if you’re driving/being ferried by aforementioned Mum there, or know if there are any disruptions to travel if you’re travelling by rail. You don’t want to end up sailing past the junction you’re meant to get off the motorway at, and then ending up closer to Birmingham Airport than East Midlands where your flight is departing from within the hour (definitely not spoken from experience)…
6. Research how you’re going to get to your accommodation when you land. Don’t do what me and my friends did on a recent trip to Poland, and arrive at the airport with zero clue on how to get to our AirBnb (clever). Make sure you research bus or train travel to the closest point to your accommodation, or book a taxi beforehand, so it’s ready and waiting for you. Always have the address on your phone and written down, so you can point and shrug at it when people ask where you’re going in a language you almost certainly cannot understand.
“Skiing in your pants might be a step too far”
7. Learn a bit of lingo. Helpful if you don’t want to point and shrug (too much). Learn how to say ‘hello’, ‘goodbye’, ‘how much?’ and ‘thank you’ at least, so you don’t seem like a stereotypical foreigner.
8. Have a great time. Yes, holidays are for chilling out and having fun, so do it. So what if something costs a bit more money than at home, YOLO and you might never be back in that location again, so do it. Within limits though, of course. Skiing in your pants might be a step too far. And make sure you’re safe, and don’t do anything you’re not comfortable with.
So there we go, Impact Travel‘s top tips for a successful holiday. Have a good summer, and make sure you send us an email to lifestyle@impactnottingham.com to let us know about your trip, and get it on the website!
Amy Wilcockson
Featured image courtesy of Teppo K. via Flickr. Image license here.
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