Smart Holiday Planning

3 minute read

7 things to consider before you travel

It’s that time of year when many of us are looking forward to getting away from it all and spending some downtime with (or without) loved ones somewhere different from the ‘every day’. 

When you’re the one coordinating everything for the family – destinations, travel, clothing, activities, food and more – it can start to feel overwhelming. APDO member Amanda Manson suggests starting early and using a list to help you get organised properly. Below are 7 of the things on her holiday planning list: 

1. Climates

These differ around the world (and across the UK). Think about the weather where you’re travelling to. Will you need light or warm clothes, layers, additional items like wellies, waterproofs, warm hats/sunhats, special footwear? Packing cubes are your saviour! Use them in your bag or suitcase to contain items by category, person, activity - or whatever works for you. Ideal for popping straight into drawers on arrival or if you’re touring around.

2. Toiletries and medicines

These could be your route to an excess baggage surcharge. Ideally take part-used shampoo, body-wash, toothpaste, etc with you for a week away instead of full bottles. Just remove them from circulation at home when you see them reducing in the run-up to your break and put them to one side in readiness. Fewer bottles to bring home could mean there will be space for a nice bottle of olive oil or wine. If you’ve several daily vitamins or medications to take, use a pill organising box or decant into just one large container instead of taking all the tubs.

3. Food

This can be more awkward to plan, especially if someone in your party has special dietary needs. Leave space in your hand luggage for specific foods that might not be available in your destination – do your research in advance. Take ziplock bags with you for food storage, or bag clips to secure open packets on days out and spare takeaway containers to store leftovers in the fridge. They’ll come in handier than you might think, and you can even recycle them before coming home.

4. Admin & Tech

Often overlooked until the last minute - ensure you have the right chargers, adaptors, currency, cards, insurance, apps, documents & ID, etc to get you through your trip. Put plans in place for pets, plants and home security. Print or save copies of any important details and medical notes to a folder on your phone or in the cloud. Just in case…

5. Activities

Relieving boredom is key, especially for young families, so start putting aside the books & games you might want to take with you. A deck of cards, small football, quiz book and so on. Keep these out of play in the couple of weeks before travelling so you’re not searching for them at the last minute.

6. Checklists

Lists can help no end. Whether on paper or an app (my favourite is AnyList), it’s important to keep your travel partners up to date. Segment by category: clothes, accessories, tech and so on. Brain-dump everything you think you might need, then simply tick them off when you’ve got each item sorted or packed. If using AnyList, the best thing is that once you’re home, you can just ‘untick’ everything and they will all be there on your list for next time – no need to start from scratch again!

7. Prepare for your return

Ideally you want to return to a house that doesn’t immediately overwhelm you, so focus on the things you’ll thank yourself for: clear kitchen worktops, fresh bedding, empty bins and no mouldy fridge surprises.

A little time spent planning now will make the start of your break more relaxed. No last-minute panic. No late-night laundry before take-off. Just a feeling of order and so much more time to enjoy yourself. Happy holidays!