Time to relax...
Finally! Summer has arrived and the sun just makes everything seem easier and life is just generally fantastic. Not only does the sun bring a smile to your face, you also get the urge to look for holidays abroad to take some time to yourself and indulge in many cocktails and chill beside the sea whilst losing yourself in your latest summer read.
However, before you actually get on the plane it can be a stressful experience for some of us. Although you know all the things that you should do for the journey to be stress-free, you still can’t help having the odd freak out. So here a few reminders to help kick-start start your holiday the way you intended.
What time is it?!
What? Your alarm hasn’t gone off?! Instant panic! You’re going to be late and you haven’t finished packing so you start to fling your belongings were ever they will fit and rush out the door half dressed. So how do we fix this? Why not try setting two alarms or maybe even three, okay, it may seem a little extreme, but if you want to start off your morning enjoying your cup of coffee and finishing the last minute tasks then it doesn’t seem too bad of an idea.
Another thing- If you’re the kind of person who tends to be just on time or you’re not really the type to show up early, when catching a plane that waits for no one, I think this should be your priority. Make sure that you allow yourself enough time to finish off the last minute packing and consider the possibility of traffic on your way to the airport or having to nip back home because you have forgotten your passport- again!
We’re off, we’re off, we’re off in a motorcar….
Finally you are all set, but the taxi isn’t anywhere to be seen. The dreaded feeling creeps in again. You begin scrambling in your bag to find the firms contact number but you seem to have lost it…
If you choose to get to the airport by minibus or taxi be sure to book it a few weeks in advance in case it does prove a bit of a struggle. This way you aren’t panicking on the last minute if you have no way of getting to the airport. There is no harm in getting in touch with whoever is escorting you to the airport, just to check that they have definitely fitted you in and they haven’t double-booked the time you asked for.
All this travelling is getting me hungry…
You finally arrive at the airport by the skin of your teeth when you begin to get a little peckish. You end up eating more than you originally planned, well what else is there to do when you’re hanging around? But it’s also made a bit of a dent in the credit card, which you didn’t plan on either!
Although you will spend some money on food at the airport, after all, if you do arrive early you have plenty of time to kill and you’re on your hols so why not treat yourself?! But if you want to watch the pennies, pack a small picnic beforehand and eat it either on the way to the airport or before you go through check in. This should stop any huge bills on food when you could have spent it on a few exotic cocktails when lounging beside the pool.
Let’s go shopping!
If you have a list of gifts that you promised everybody and think it would be a good idea to just grab and go from the duty free, why not just wait until you get to your destination. We all know that the markets and shops aboard offer different and unusual gifts. So when you are lapping up the sun but fancy a nice stroll around the area, then wouldn’t this be a better time to go looking? This way you will have more time to think about the gifts and will be more sentimental for the person you are buying it for. Not only that, you may find a few bargains on your hunt, which is even better!
Summer Reads.
Every holiday needs a perfect read, so make this a priority to gather a few books together that are sure to keep you entertained whilst on the beach. There is nothing worse than forgetting a good read and thinking you can last the whole duration of the holiday by flicking through magazines that you have read almost ten times and buying the newspaper when you’re only interested in the celeb section anyway. Avoid buying books when you arrive on holiday, as the books may not be to your taste or could be old books that you have already read! Also, if your flight is delayed or you’re on a long journey flight, then bringing along your own reads will allow for the perfectly, relaxed holiday you have been waiting for.
Arriving on the other side...
Hurray! You have landed: Let the holiday commence! BUT, hold on, you need to go and retrieve your luggage. As you hang around anxiously hoping that your case has arrived safely and everything is in tack, you notice a lady wondering off with an almost identical suitcase to yours. You panic, but convince yourself to go over and take back what’s rightfully yours. This doesn’t end the way you planned and you end up waiting around the conveyor belt with a bright red face with people gawping and whispering. To avoid this, the best way is to place ribbon around your case or maybe a key ring with you and some friends on the picture, anything to indicate that the case is definitely yours, so that no awkward encounters need to occur.
But above everything else just remember this is YOUR time to relax, so don’t let the little things and not so important things stress you out and say BONJOUR! to the good life for a while.