As we found out in the previous article, planning your holiday is absolutely key. Dedicate a good amount of time to researching it – it’ll pay off later. You won’t be worrying about your lack of planning, and it’ll make your time away just so much easier. Besides, if you have other things to worry about, many people find that holiday research distracts them from it – reducing their levels of stress. So what are the last 5 tips?
6. Make a really detailed budget. When you’re planning a holiday, you can’t just take into account flights and accommodation. You have to take into account every little detail – transport, travel insurance, food, entry fees to attractions, currency prices, and even some spending money for yourself. Some cities in Europe also have this thing called “city tax”, where they add an extra percentage onto your hotel bill at the end of your stay. Just make sure you are aware of this when you make your budget.
7. Use comparison sites for travel insurance! Unfortunately, you can’t get a Baby Oleg from Compare the Meerkat if you buy only travel insurance. Heartbreaking stuff, but it’s really important to get the best deal on your insurance. Remember, you’ll want a lower excess, and higher medical, baggage and flight coverage. If you’re going skiing, or going away to participate in sports/musical concerts, then you might have to find more specialist insurance.
8. Ask people who’ve already been for their recommendations. If somebody thinks that the Coliseum is a waste of time, then it’s worth knowing about. If they found a hidden gem, then it’s also good to know about that. This is particularly true when it comes to restaurants – rather than searching the streets for hours to find a place that looks like it’s decent and well-priced, if your friend can recommend anywhere, then it saves you a lot of hassle.
9. Familiarise yourself with local transport and maps. Try and remember which bus/train you have to get from your accommodation to the main attractions, and where the nearest transport stops are. Definitely remember the walk from these stops to your accommodation’s doorstep – the trouble with carrying around a map and checking it every few minutes makes you look like a tourist, and more vulnerable to pickpockets etc. Carry yourself how you would when in big cities like London when you’re abroad – not everywhere in the world is as nice as your home town!
10. If you’re staying far out, make sure you’re well connected by public transport. This is really obvious, especially if you don’t have a car. If it means saving you lots of money, then hopping on the bus or train every morning to start your day’s exploring could be worthwhile, but only if it’s within easy reach. You don’t want to travel all that way, only to arrive at a place you can’t actually escape very easily, as it will stop you from doing the things that you want to do.
That brings this Top Ten list to a close! It’s been a long one, but hopefully you now feel a lot more prepared for the task ahead of you.
Image from: http://lifestylebycaroline.com/april-2015/
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