With summer looking like it’s finally arriving and the kids breaking up from school, it’s time to turn your attention away from work and look forward to your summer holidays. Love it or hate it, packing for your holiday has to be done, here’s 10 holiday essentials to get you started.
- Passport & Tickets
Travelling aboard? Then let’s start with the most important holiday essentials as you won’t get far if you haven’t got your passport, tickets and boarding pass! It may seem like the most obvious task but one in ten people will forget their passport when on the way to the airport! Always check well before you need to travel and make sure your passport is valid, as 53% of the public have admitted to not knowing when theirs expires! Most travel agents will tell you that you need to have 6 months worth of validity on your current UK Passport, but this depends on where you travelling. Don’t get caught out or your holiday will be finished before it gets started!
- Travel Insurance & Travel Information
There’s little point in buying travel insurance and leaving the details at home, print a copy of the insurance certificate and keep with your passport. Other useful travel documents and paperwork include your driving licence if you want to hire a car, hotel bookings and pre-booked taxi, train or bus tickets and information. It’s a good idea to keep holiday related email confirmations on your smartphone as a backup too and take a photo of important travel documents.
- EHIC Cards
Even with the recent vote to leave the European Union, your European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) is valid at present. Although this may change, it will currently still give you reduced cost or free medical care. Check your EHIC is valid and remember that each member of the family needs their own card including children.
The EHIC is completely free to apply for and to renew, but make sure you go to the official EHIC website as in the past few years several websites have been set up selling EHIC cards for a fee, so avoid these.
- Travel Adapters & Phone Chargers
If you’re travelling outside of the UK, must have holiday essentials need to include appropriate travel adapters so you can use any electrical items. Don’t forget your phone/tablet chargers, because whilst you might want to avoid your emails, who doesn’t want to post some cheesy holiday pics while you’re away.
- First Aid Kit
A few first aid essentials will go a long way when you need them, whether travelling with children or you just want a paracetamol for a headache. It can also save a trip to a find a pharmacy and avoid confusion of buying medicine with instructions which are not in English. Think about the basics such as antiseptic cream, paracetamol, anti-histamines and a box of plasters.
- Holiday Clothing & Accessories
There’s no need to pack for every eventuality, depending on the type of holiday you’ve got planned, pack accordingly. This could be flip flops and swimsuits or walking boots and waterproofs, a quick check of the weather forecast will also give you a rough idea as to what you should be packing.
- Sun Cream
Going somewhere sunny? Then sun cream is definitely an essential for your packing list. While you can buy sun cream when you arrive, it tends to be expensive, so why not stock up before you go. With many ‘buy one, get one free’ offers on sun cream at this time of year, if you’re not pushed on suitcase space or weight you could save a few pounds. If you’re only taking hand luggage remember any liquids or gels still need to be 100ml or less.
- Insect Repellent
It’s always a good idea to avoid the local insect wildlife, whether in the UK or abroad. No one wants to spend their holiday scratching insect bites.
- Headphones
Not everyone will share your taste in music so if you want to listen to your favourite tunes on the train, plane or just by the pool don’t forget your earphones.
- Book, Magazine or Kindle
Finally, travelling anywhere usually has some periods of waiting around so take some reading material to help pass the time.
With so much to remember booking a cab to the train station or airport is the easy way to start your holiday. You can also avoid the taxi rank when you arrive home and have a cab waiting for you, how’s that for holiday planning. Happy holidays!
