So you’re probably getting ready to jet off on your summer holidays over the next few months. I’m heading to London in June (hopefully!) and Copenhagen in August and possibly Bulgaria in September. With all these destinations in mind I’ve compiled a list of my top travel tips for summer holidays to make sure you are organized and have a stress free trip!
1. Passport.
I mean this is a no brainer right?! Well you’d be surprised how many people forget their passport or forget to check if their passport is out of date. Also if you’re travelling outside of Europe for your summer holidays a lot of other countries require you to have at least six months validity on your passport. Check with your Foreign Office or equivalent before travelling as it differs from country to country.
2. Money.
Always try to have your travel money either in cash or on a pre-paid debit card or a combination of both before you travel. There are few countries where it is cheaper to get that country’s currency in the country itself so it’s best to check before you travel. Also don’t ever buy currency in an airport, it’s a rip off! So just don’t. Also make sure to tell your bank that you are going abroad if you plan to use your debit or credit card abroad. This stops panic when you’re buying something and expensive phone calls to the bank. If you’re travelling to more than one country tell the bank this to!
Top Tip for Money: Divide your money up between your hand luggage, handbag and if your checked in case if you have one. This way if something gets lost or stolen you still have money and credit cards to enjoy your holiday.
3. Stick to a colour theme for clothes.
Seriously you don’t need that fifth dress or fourteenth pair of shoes as they just weigh down your case! Especially if you haven’t decided if you are checking in a case because of the extortionate check-in fees; light is better. If you stick to a colour theme for clothes not only do you need less you tend to look less like a tourist in brightly coloured tops, shirts, shorts etc. No one wants to look like a certain type of tourist abroad with large camera and white trainers abroad! Not a good look. Ever.
I tend to stick with different hues of blue from light blue right through to navy blue. I also stick to a naval inspired wardrobe when travelling in the summer. There’s something about naval stripes and naval whites that evoke summer for me. Plus if you stick to a colour theme you pack less which means more room in your suitcase and no expensive over-weight luggage fees!
4. Keep accessories neutral.
Again this works into the notion of too much stuff making your bag to heavy to have as hand luggage only. If you stick to netural tones like black, white or tan leather then you can’t go wrong. These colours go with everything and anything and means you have to pack less. I tend to pack a tan leather bag, camera case, sandals and matching belts and sunglasses. This way I’ve maximised my wardrobe whilst minimising the amount of space I take up in my hand luggage.
5. Tolietries.
Most toilietries now come in handy 100ml sizes so you don’t have to check in your case with five million bottles of shampoo and sun cream. Plus most resorts and holiday destinations sell the brands we have here in the UK and Ireland or something similar. Long gone are the days when you had to worry about your suncream exploding all over your case when you can take smaller amounts and buy some in your chosen destination.
Top Tip for Toiletries: For the love of all things that are holy pack your toilietries into your plastic bag before you get to the airport and leave them at the top of your case. Nothing makes me angrier when people are faffing about in the security queue putting toilietries into the plastic bag or even better doing it whilst going through the security scanners!
6. Pack a Hat.
Pack a hat. Seriously I can’t stress this enough and it’s just as important as packing high-factor sunscreen if you’re going somewhere hot. A hat protects your hair and head from the sun. It provides shade if it is really hot and stops you getting sun stroke. Enough said. I love hats and have a variety of hats for winter and summer. I normally pack this vintage straw boater hat or if I’m feeling fancy I’ll pack my 1930s straw fedora hat which I have to pack other stuff carefully around so it doesn’t get squashed!
Other tips include rolling your clothes, stuffing socks, bras, pants etc. into shoes and bringing travel size electronics but those type of tips are on every other type of blog post similar to mine. I hope you have enjoyed reading this post and join me over the summer for more vlogs and blogs from my summer adventures!