If you haven’t had a ‘proper’ holiday since 2019, you may be joining the rush for sunnier climes and a well-deserved break this summer. There’s been little respite from the gloomy outlook of the last couple of years and a decent holiday is just the antidote. Or is it?
There’s the usual backlog at the passport office so woe betide you if you’ve left your renewal too late. The ferries are stuck in the docks and the M20 is a lorry park. Before you go near an airport, you’d better be jabbed or tested to meet ever-changing Covid regulations which differ from country to country.
Where to go?
Traditionally, in simpler times, holiday brochures would be pored over up to a year before travelling and the excitement and anticipation would start as soon as a booking is made. Now, online choices are overwhelming and reviews make decisions even more difficult. How do you please a family of four who all have different interests? Who gets to choose if she loves laying in the sun and he loves fell walking? And ‘abroad’ doesn’t seem as exotic or far away as it used to be. Just more expensive to get to.
If you only have beer money for champagne destinations, do you go for it and spend the rest of the year paying off the credit card or stick to a budget and have less fun? Even cheap family holidays can run into thousands. Is it worth risking the expense if the job is uncertain or the business struggling?
The short answer is often ‘yes’. A holiday is a chance to reset, unwind and get away from the pressures of daily life. You would think that holidays are good for our mental health but that isn’t always the case. Here is some guidance on how to avoid the catastrophes that can scupper the best laid plans and lead to holiday meltdowns:
Avoid scammers
Along with the house and the car, holidays are among the biggest purchases we make.
When possible, make sure your booking is protected by authorities who uphold standards and safeguard against fraud. In these uncertain economic times, travel companies are going bust and scammers are taking payment for villas that don’t exist. Word of mouth recommendations are worth more than online reviews which could be fake.
Get organised
Regular travellers have a checklist of things to do to make a holiday run smoothly. This checklist can be mind-bogglingly overwhelming. Never mind the toothbrush, there are a million things to forget. Documents, tickets, currency, medication, clothes for every kind of weather disaster, to name but a few. A holiday can be wrecked if you proudly run through your completed checklist when you get to the hotel only to find that two-year-old Sophie’s favourite Bunnykins is still on the kitchen table.
What kind are You?
There are different styles of holidaymaker. ‘Military Mum’ is an uber efficient packer who is completely frazzled and hates her ungrateful brood for being so unhelpful. On the way to the airport, Laid Back Dad’ and ‘Workaholic Dad’ still aren’t sure where they’re going because it’s as much as they could do to turn up. ‘Anxious Eds and Annies’ have to go back and check the house is locked 15 times. Just as well they head off with three hours to spare. And they need a large gin and three diazepam to get them on the plane.
Pack mentality
If you really can’t live without tea bags and Marmite, stay at home. If you don’t like the local cuisine, chances are you won’t like the locals either. At their best, holidays are happy, memory-making adventures. After a few weeks back home, arguments are forgotten and the holiday takes on a rose-tinted hue, sunlit social media selfies a testimony to a perfect holiday. It’s no wonder we keep going back for more of the dream.
