Tommy has over 15 years experience within the insurance industry, and his primary focus is helping travellers find the right cover for their medical conditions.
You’re planning to go on holiday, but before you can, you need to make sure you have all the important things covered and planned beforehand. It helps to be prepared, and there are plenty of things you can do weeks before travelling to make the process as stress-free and simple as possible.
Whether it is making a list to remind you not to forget items, noting down important numbers or booking your travel insurance, keep reading to find out how to prepare for your holiday and some of the best tips to make sure you have everything planned before travelling.
Tips to make sure you’re prepared for anything before a holiday
- Make plenty of travel checklists
- Collate all booking confirmations in one place
- Make a note of any important numbers
- Research and plan your packing and luggage
- Take out travel insurance
- Contact your airtime provider
Make Plenty of Travel Checklists
When it comes to anything, making lists is a surefire way to make sure you remember important information, and travelling is no exception. Whether you like to make lists digitally on your phone or manually with a pen and paper, this is a great way to start your holiday planning and preparation.
Firstly, start by making a list of all the jobs you want to get done before you go away, for example, booking travel insurance, organising pet care or booking airport transport or parking. Making a list means you can keep track of the progress of important tasks.
Secondly, you could create a list of the stuff you would like to pack. If you’re short on space or only have hand luggage or a small baggage allowance, this is a great way to make sure you are only packing the essentials and not adding any unnecessary items.
Collate All Booking Confirmations in One Place
It may sound simple, but collating all your booking information into one place allows you to keep track of anything that isn’t booked, and you will know where it is when you start travelling.
Print or screenshot things like boarding passes, flight booking confirmation, transport and accommodation confirmation and any transfer information you may need at either end.
Also, make sure you have your passport and that the passport is valid, as well as any documentation you may need for the specific country you are visiting, this way, you won’t be left disappointed at the airport.
Make a Note of Any Important Numbers
When you are travelling, it is important to have emergency contact with you in case of emergency. Especially in countries outside of Europe, roaming isn’t always free and charging points may be few and far between, so having important numbers written down on paper may sound outdated, but it is a great idea. Add emergency contacts, medical contacts, numbers of those you are travelling with and any other relevant numbers.
READ MORE: Holiday Tips for Older Travellers
Research and Plan your Packing and Luggage
Firstly, you will want to check your baggage allowance for your flight, and if you are going on more than one flight, this weight may differ, so make sure you take that into consideration when choosing which bag to take. It is very easy to overpack when you’re excited for a trip, but making a packing list and considering what you actually need carefully is a great idea.
If you’re looking to save space, or you only have hand luggage, rolling clothes, rather than folding is a great technique, as well as packing cubes. Packing cubes can be split into clothing types, or specific outfits and also allow you to keep clothes neat and tidy as you travel. Using packing cubes is a tip Sophie from A Considered Life writes about on her blog, she comments about the benefits of packing cubes:
“When packing for one-bag travel, it's essential to use every inch of space efficiently to keep clothing wrinkle-free and organised. Carefully roll or fold each item of clothing into packing cubes to maximise space and minimise wrinkles. Place heavier items at the bottom of your bag to help distribute the weight evenly, ensuring your bag is stable and more comfortable to carry.”
Take out Travel Insurance
Whether you are travelling for a day or for months, having travel insurance is crucial and will protect you from travelling emergencies and mishaps like travel cancellations, lost luggage and medical emergencies. Here at Medical Travel Compared, we have a selection of travel policies that cover certain medical illnesses, including the likes of over 60 travel insurance with medical conditions, disability travel insurance and travel insurance for heart conditions.
Contact Your Airtime Provider
Not all airtime plans will allow you to travel outside of the UK free of charge, so one of the important things to check before travelling is whether you have roaming and in what countries. Roaming outside of your airtime plan can incur heft charges that could otherwise be avoided. Some networks will allow you to pay a small fee to get free roaming whilst you’re away, so it is worth asking the question.
If you’re planning an upcoming trip and don’t know where to start, then hopefully, this guide has given you a few top tips and some inspiration on how to plan. For more articles and travel inspiration, make sure you check out our travel blog.