Tips for a Stress Free Travel

04-Oct-2011 Stress Free Travel

The holy grail of all holiday preparations has to be the luxury of stress-free travel. And certainly we all have visions of turning up to our Summer break destination looking cool, unflustered and entirely at ease.

Sadly the reality is usually that we`re running late, attempting to grapple with too many last minute activities, inappropriately attired and with a decided feeling of stress, impatience and often the beginnings of a headache. Throw an accompanying family into the mix and the responsibilities of packing and travelling with a group and the tension doubles!

Avoid living this dire scenario by introducing rigorous planning to your travel arrangements. The old adage does ring true - fail to plan; plan to fail`! This means anticipating potential pitfalls, working out alternatives and contingencies and organising as much in advance as you can. It also means packing and organising well in advance - don`t leave everything until the last minute and hope for the best!

Start making lists. Look at the travel required to get to your holiday destination. If you are driving, then ensure the car is serviced beforehand, up to date with its road tax, insurance and MOT and has a tank full of petrol before you set off. Leave none of these things until the morning of departure! The night before you are due to travel, top up on oil, water, window washer and put emergency items in the back such as a torch, blanket, water and food. It`s better to be safe than sorry. Ensure you carry a fully-charged mobile phone with you. Top it up with credit if required. Store the numbers of your roadside assistance provider in the phone and keep any certification handy in case you need to make a callout en route.

If you are travelling by train, book your tickets well in advance and reserve seats near the doors, where you can store baggage. Book an earlier train than you anticipate needing, just in case there are delays. Collect your tickets from the station before the day, in case there are queues. If any of the family suffers from travel sickness, good cures include acupuncture bands with are worn around the wrists and apply gentle pressure to balance wobbly tummies, or ginger flavoured drinks, boiled sweets or biscuits - ginger is a traditional natural remedy for nausea and sickness. Alternatively, anti-travel sickness tablets can be bought from any pharmacy.

For air-travel, sort out insurance, vaccinations if necessary, visas if necessary, travel money and other essentials well beforehand. Check that passports are in date. Store all travel documentation in an easy access zip folder. Order travellers cheques beforehand to get competitive rates -not at the airport - or utilise a debit card specifically for abroad. Put small toilettries into a sealable, clear plastic bag to get through security. For travel to the airport, either organise a taxi well in advance for a fixed fare, or search online for the best prices and early bird booking discounts for UK airport parking. The cheapest tend to be just off site. Avoid parking in the long-haul carpark and paying on the day, unless you wish to pay over the odds.

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