Two months to go:
- What’s left to be done
If time has passed since you made the initial bookings for your travel framework, go back, and remind yourself where you go up to and make a list of what still needs to be done so that you can make final plans.
- Book activities
Decide which activities you hope to do whilst away and start to make bookings for tours and activities, maybe using Get Your Guide or Viatour, TripAdvisor.
- Get in the mood
Get in the mood for your trip by watching some films set in your chosen destination or reading something related to your destination (the setting for the book or a local author). Set up a playlist for your trip on Spotify and start adding music.
One month to go:
- Packing
Give some thought to packing and what you might need for your trip, considering what the weather might be like, or what activities you hope to do.
- Write a packing list of what you need for your trip.
- Pull out travel items
Get your travel items out of the cupboard and see what is fit for purpose for your trip, and, in the case of clothes what still fits!
- Write a shopping list of what you need to buy in advance of your trip and start to make purchases as required.
- Book restaurants
Look to see if there are any particular restaurants you want to try on your trip and if necessary, make a reservation.
- Make a backup of key documents
Manual copies – make a manual folder of your key documents to carry in your hand luggage by printing off your bookings and making copies of your passports and visas etc. Printed copies of your accommodation booking(s) are useful to have as you may need to show these at passport control/immigration. Note – a full manual folder will end up being quite heavy which you might not want to carry.
Scan to the cloud – scan your key documents to a cloud provider such as, OneDrive, iCloud or GoogleDocs, but be mindful that you might not always have connectivity (or a phone or laptop if they were stolen) to access it, or
Combination – use a combination of the above two approaches and share the password for your Cloud documents with someone who might help you from afar if needed.
One week to go:
- Luggage allowances
Check the luggage allowances and bag sizes with your airline, or airlines if taking more than one flight.
- Main luggage
Pull out the bags or cases for your trip and check sizes. Start washing, ironing and packing travel clothes as required.
Tip – pack each case with a mix of items for each person travelling in case one of the cases goes missing. This avoids one person losing all their items in one missing case.
- Essential travel documents
Pull together all your essential travel documents such as, passports, visas and/or visa exemption waivers, driving licences, proof of vaccination (if required).
- Hand luggage
Decide which bag(s) you will be using for hand luggage and put your essential travel documents in. If you are taking a manual print out of your bookings, then put this in a folder and add to hand luggage.
Tip – pack a set of clothes in your hand luggage in case your hold luggage goes missing. Even two pairs of pants and two t-shirts will help in the short term.
- Travel insurance
Buy travel insurance or check whether previously purchased travel insurance is still valid and relevant for the activities you want to do.
- Travel Money
Think about what currency you will need and buy local currency as required. Note – some currency is not held behind the counter and may need to be ordered in, so don’t leave it until the last minutes. About £100 worth of local currency should be enough in the short term.
- Think about electricals
Think about which devices will you be taking and whether you have all the required cables and relevant plug converters. Also consider taking a charged power bank as a backup, which helps if you have any particularly long days of travel.
- Cancel the milk and papers
Cancel any regular orders which you have, and potentially any subscriptions you will not be needing whilst you are away (if you are away for a longer time).
- Pre-plan your arrival
Think about what will happen when you arrive at your destination – what time will it be and how will you get from the airport (or train station) to your accommodation. Having a plan for your arrival will help reduce stress at a time when you could be tired and jetlagged.
The day before:
- Weigh your luggage
Use suitcase scales to weigh your packed cases to make sure that they are under the weight allowance for your trip.
- Handover to neighbour, relative or friend
Leave a set of house keys with a neighbour, relative or friend in case of emergency. Ask them to keep an eye on your flat or house, put bins out and potentially water the plants.
- Charge all electrical appliances
Make sure that all the electrical appliances that you are taking away with you are fully charged and ready to go.
- Drop your pet off
Give big cuddles and say farewell to your furry friend before handing them over to their holiday career as required.
The day of travel:
- Turn bedside alarms off
As soon as you get up, turn off any bedside alarms so you don’t annoy neighbours with an alarm which doesn’t turn off whilst you are away.
- Pack final items
Pack those items which can’t go into your luggage until the last minute, usually toothbrush, toiletries, and phone with charger.
- Water your plants
For the last time before departure.
- Lock up / alarm on / curtains closed
Secure your house as necessary.
- Make a final passport and visa check
Do this before you leave the house and not once you are on the road.
Final checks made, now you can get excited. Let’s go!!!
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