It’s not long to go now until Christmas is upon us! Some of you may be spending the festive period at home with family/friends but others may have chosen to take coach holidays abroad to celebrate Christmas. With this in mind, we thought we’d provide you with a few tips so that your overseas Christmas break runs as smoothly as it possibly can. Take a look at some of the ideas we’ve listed below and of course, if you think of something we haven’t tell us so we can spread the word and let other families have a trouble-free Christmas holiday too!
1 – To wrap or not to wrap, that is the question
Some of us like to be completely prepared before we travel but when it comes to
presents it might be worth leaving the wrapping up until you get to the resort! Reason being is, there’s a risk that your luggage may be chosen for a security check at the airport and if you’ve already wrapped your presents, you could find a nasty surprise once you get to your holiday destination as it is likely that the wrapping paper will have been torn open so that security can check what’s inside. You’ve been warned so leave some space in your suitcase for the gift wrap and spend an hour or two in the destination wrapping up your presents instead.
2 – Keep those stress levels low
Christmas is a stressful time of year no matter how prepared you are so heed our advice before you travel and keep your stress levels low by leaving plenty of time to get to the airport, station or port. Also, double-check that travel services you take for granted the rest of the year are actually operating when you need them. There’s nothing worse than getting to the station wanting to catch a train to the airport then missing your flight because you didn’t check that the train you needed was running properly!
3 – Don’t get popping mad
Everyone wants to get in the festive party spirit and add to the occasion with party
hats and poppers. If you’re travelling overseas, the hats are ok but you may have to leave the party poppers at home instead as they are not allowed and security will confiscate them. Don’t be tempted to take any festive food abroad with you either as they won’t allow it and you’ll be in for some huge delays at security whilst they check your bags. Our advice, leave it all at home and enjoy when you get back (as long as it’s still in date that is)!
4 – Insure those gifts
You may or may not have already thought about this but check that your Travel Insurance covers for any expensive gifts that you take abroad with you. In some cases, it might not be worth the risk – what will you do if the gift is damaged? You won’t be able to claim for it if it’s not covered by your insurance so that could be money down the drain for you! Avoid the stress and leave expensive gifts at home.
5 – Save the £££s
Did you know that if you take a festive flight on Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day – you could end up saving lots of money. Worth a thought the next time you plan a getaway for the festive period huh?
6 – Leave awkward gifts at home
As we all know, the amount of luggage airlines/tour operators will allow you to take on holiday is pretty minimal so
with this in mind, it might be worth some careful thinking when you pack your suitcase. Instead of packing lots of heavy, awkwardly shaped gifts into your cases, think minimalistic and opt for gift cards for the people you are visiting on holiday? Not only do these take up less space but you’re giving the recipient the option of choosing what they would like for Christmas. Who knows, they could grab a bargain in the January Sales with the gift card you got for them and they’ll have you to thank!
7 – Secure your home
Security should be high on your list before you travel and we don’t mean just at the airport, port or station. Before you leave, make sure that all the doors and windows of your property are locked tight, perhaps use a timer so that the lights come on at night to create the illusion that someone is there to confuse potential thieves. Also, let a trusted neighbour know that you are going on holiday and they will hopefully keep a watchful eye on your home too.
8 – Your letter to Santa
If you’ve been good this year, make sure you write to Santa and let him know of your holiday address otherwise you may wake up on Christmas morning to an empty stocking and we don’t want that now do we?
Hopefully the tips listed above will help your Christmas to run smoothly and to keep your sanity in check for the big day. Can you think of any other helpful tips?