Make the most of your holidays

Most people have limited ability to travel long-term due to their free time being severely restricted by having only four weeks of holiday each year. If you are one of them read on for hints on making the most of what holiday you have.

Plan your trip around public holidays

Don’t forget public holidays when planning your trips. Most countries have about six to ten public holidays each year, so if you add those to the 20 or so days that you are entitled to take from work that gives you more to play with. If you can time your trips around public holidays, it can mean taking six weeks away instead of just four.

Bookings

Book your flights to maximise your time abroad. If you can be a little bit organised ahead of travelling then after work you can go straight to the airport and spend the evening at your holiday destination, instead of spending half of your first day off travelling there. Also, find out how long the flights take. If you only have a few days, then you won’t get much out of a long-haul trip except jetlag. It tends to be better to keep the destinations of shorter trips to those that are under a four-hour flight away.

Research before you travel

Read up on your destination and, especially if you are going away for a short time, like a long weekend or a week, make a shortlist of all the things you really want to see and do. If you are at least aware of what the destination offers then you can make quicker decisions when you are there and spend more time enjoying your break, and waste less time planning things when you should be out doing them.

Be prepared

You might be the kind of person who is happy to do it all last minute, but in the name of enjoying the experience as much as possible, I prefer to get a few things sorted ahead of travelling. If you get hold of foreign currency and address a few luggage labels ahead of rocking up at the airport it is just that bit less stressful, especially if you are delayed in getting to the airport.

Check transport

Public transport is usually the cheapest option when getting to an airport, but if you want to save time then driving is usually faster. The cost of parking at the airport can sometimes seem prohibitive, but remember what you are paying for; it’s the convenience. If it takes you as long to get to your local airport as it does to fly to another country (which it certainly can do in London) then that is you valuable time lost. Make the most of your holiday and get on with getting there!

Do you have any handy hints for making the most of holidays?