With summer holidays fast approaching, make sure you’re holiday ready with our checklist. We’ve listed the top essentials to prepare before you start packing your suitcase.
Flights – Make sure you’ve booked all of your flights and double check the times and dates. It’s always handy to make sure you have all of your flight tickets to hand throughout the entire journey, as you might be required to display a return ticket when you check in. Either flag the email as important, take a screenshot or print the ticket to be sure you can easily get it. Airlines like British Airways offer rewards schemes so make sure you maximise your benefits before purchasing tickets to save yourself money.
Airport transfers – Make sure you know how you are getting to and from the airport at both ends, whether it be booking a transfer or hiring a car for your trip. Avoid last minute arrangements as this is the fastest way to ensure you're spending unnecessary money on airport transfers.
Bus, Train and Boat Tickets – If you’re travelling by bus, train or boat, print your tickets out or screenshot them and keep them in your suitcase or day bag. As well as giving you a record of your transfers, this gives you documents that you can show to taxi drivers if you’re in a country where English isn’t the local language. Doing this with your hotel reservations also ensures that you have the address handy at all times.
Travel Insurance – Make sure you’re fully covered before you leave for your holiday with a comprehensive travel insurance policy. This is an essential to get right. Make sure you are covered for all eventualities and make sure you have a copy of your policy.
Currency card - Currency travel cards are a great way to get the most out of your holiday money. Not only do they tend to offer great exchange rates, and few, if any charges when spending abroad, they also allow holiday makers to pre-load exactly how much they want to spend, meaning you are less likely to blow your budget. (For example, the Caxton Card does not charge you for using ATMs abroad and could save you an average of £3 per cash withdrawal compared to your debit card.)
Passport – It should go without saying, but if you’re travelling overseas, you’ll need to have a valid passport. Check that your passport is valid for at least one more year and that there are enough blank pages to cover your entire trip.
Visas – Do you need a visa for your destinations? Some countries require that you have a visa in order to enter, while others offer visa-free travel for specific nationalities. Check if you need a visa before you book your flight and apply as early as possible to avoid any issues getting into your destination.
Vaccinations – Before you pack anything, check if you need any injections before you visit your destination. Talk to a doctor and get all of the appropriate vaccinations before you leave so you don’t face any serious health risks during your holiday. Book an appointment 2 months in advance as some courses of injections can take multiple weeks.
Allergy Card – If you have any serious food allergies or can’t eat certain foods due to your religion, make sure you have a translated statement that you can show to food vendors and restaurants.
Prescriptions – If you take prescription medicine, make sure you’ve got an up-to-date copy of your prescription before you leave. You should also check the laws regarding prescription medicine in all of the countries you plan to visit to ensure you won’t face any issues bringing your medicine through customs.
Cables and chargers – Taking a smartphone, digital camera, eReader or other gadget? Make sure you have the right power adapters for the country you’re visiting, and enough cables to charge your devices. You don’t want to be caught with a dead camera when the perfect picture opportunity comes up.
Once you’ve got all the necessities sorted, you can focus on the fun stuff. Got your sunglasses, chic swimsuit and favourite headphones? Downloaded your favourite shows to watch, or got that book you can’t put down? Sometimes it’s the small things that turn out to be the essentials for your summer holiday fun. Dig out your Caxton card and top up ahead of your next trip.