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Of course there's all the normal things that are important to do, like checking you have at least 6 months from the date of your holiday until the date your passport expiries, sorting travel insurance, car hire, planning how you get to the airport, etc.
But this blog is basically me sharing the things I've learnt from trial and error. My favourite kind of learning is learning from other peoples mistakes, so here's my gift to you, you can learn from my mistakes and experiences.
1. Allow yourself to feel excited
Not everyone gets to have holidays, particularly holidays abroad. It's a blessing and a privilege.
It certainly is something to be grateful for.
The feeling of looking forward to a holiday is one of my favourite feelings. It's a big part of the holiday experience for me.
I used to hold back a bit, keeping my guard up. 'If I look forward to it too much then the disappointment will be greater if it doesn't live up to my expectations for whatever reason'.
But I realised I was missing out on a big part of the holiday joy. Whatever happens on the actual holiday, having something to look forward to does the soul good and gives hope and happiness. If nothing goes wrong then I've wasted all that enjoyment I could have had. If it does go wrong, then at least I had the beforehand joy and I know I have the resources inside of me to learn from every experience and to cope at the time.
Brené Brown, a researcher says:
'If you're afraid to lean into good news, wonderful moments, and joy - if you find yourself waiting for the other shoe to drop - you are not alone. It's called "foreboding joy," and most of us experience it'. Atlas of the Heart.
In her research she has found that joy is the most vulnerable human emotion and says that 'When we lose our tolerance for vulnerability, joy becomes foreboding'.
She describes that in their research they found that everyone who had a deep capacity for joy, had in common that they practised gratitude. Something we can all do.
If you have a holiday booked, allow yourself to feel the joy and to practice gratitude.
Wahoooooooooo, you're going on holiday!!!!!!!!!
2. Plan and research
Whilst practising gratitude, we can also do some planning, this is all part of helping things go to plan and reducing potential stresses whilst there.
You don't want to spend your holiday doing research about where to go, what to do, how to get there, what you'll need etc. I've had times where I've gone with a rough idea of things we might want to do, but then still ended up spending quite a bit of time whilst there researching the finer details.
It's true you won't always know what's available till you get there and it's good to be spontaneous and see how people are feeling and what they fancy at the time, but there's still quite a bit you can do to save stress once there.
I've been a culprit of under planning and also over planning. Both had their stresses. These days I'm still trying to find the right balance between doing enough research beforehand to leave more time for being in the moment on holiday, but then holding them lightly enough, just as ideas, that we can use or not use, and being flexible with them.
3. Talk about holiday expectations
Along with doing some research, make sure you have a conversation, before your holiday, with the other people you're going on holiday with.
People can have wildly different expectations of what they think their holiday will be, of what they hope their holiday will be, and what they need their holiday to be. What you do with your time (one might want relaxation, another might want adventure), how much money you spend and what you spend it on, etc.
Have a think what your wants and needs are and communicate that to the others.
Also ask them what it is for them, and listen to their response.
Be prepared to compromise and make an effort to make sure everyone gets some of their wants and needs met whilst you're there.
Being self-aware enough to consider what you want and need makes for a much more fulfilling life. Finding out what other people want and need is an amazing way to show love, support, respect and appreciation for them.
Good awareness and communication can save a whole load of stress, disappointment and resentment down the line.
Don't get caught up in comparing with what other people's holidays are like. Do what is right for you and who you're going with.
4. Print out paperwork
Lots of people don't do this because they think they can just get it up on their phone.
I agree that this is convenient and easy.
But......
What if you lose your phone, or it is stolen, or the internet is playing up so you can't load what you need to, or your phone runs out of battery? All of these are very real possibilities.
Have the paperwork printed out in case you need a plan B. If you don't need it, then wonderful! If you do need it, you will have saved yourself soooooo much stress.
5. Double check the rules of your airline
Here are few ideas of things to double check. There are probably plenty of others:
The size of your luggage (including the wheels)
The weight allowance of your luggage
What you are allowed in the way of liquid (remember even things like toothpaste count as a liquid), and how they need to be packed
What things will need taking out of your bag and putting in the trays as you go through security (I always seem to forget something and have to have my bags searched, it's very embarrassing and anxiety producing!)
6. Check where you can find a water fountain to fill up your water bottle
If you want to save yourself a few pounds, take an empty water bottle with you and fill it up at a water fountain once you're through security. Lots of people don't realise you can do this and they are not always easy to find. You can check this link to find out in advance where the water fountain will be located at your airport.
7. Write a shopping list before your holiday
My husband says he wouldn't feel the need to do this, but as a mother doing the majority of the planning, especially if there's a few of you, I've found this helpful.
If you are planning on making use of self-catering and so need to do a supermarket shop, having a shopping list of a rough idea of what you might want whilst there, helps keep it simple and easy.
These are the sort of things that can end up a bit stressful. You just want to get on with your nice holiday and you are having to sort out practical chores like shopping. This especially applies if you have kids in tow.
Whilst you never know exactly what will be available in a shop in a different country, you can still have a basic list. This means you wont forget things and need repeated visits, and means you can be in and out a lot quicker, so you can get on with enjoying your break.
8. Things to leave easily accessible in your luggage
As well as the obvious things like all the paperwork, boarding passes, tickets, passport etc. you can learn from my mistakes on this point, with these other ideas:
After a long day of traveling, by the time we arrived at the villa everyone was hot and fed up. This soon disappeared once we arrived and the kids were stripping off ready to get in the pool as soon as they saw it. Scrambling together what they needed to do this hadn't been how I expected to spend my first few minutes of being there, and before I knew it, they were having a wonderful time in the pool... without any sun cream on!!!! My pale skinned, not-used-to-the-sun kids! By the time I'd located the sun cream, they were wet and in the middle of their fun, and I was still trying to land and get things sorted.
To cut to the point, by the end of the day, even after sun cream had been applied, in their joy of being in a hot country and having a swimming pool all to themselves in the garden, they were well and truly sunburnt. Especially the feet. I must say, I wasn't a pro in foreign holidays, and creaming the top of children's feet hadn't crossed my mind.
The sunburn limited what we could do on the days that followed and put a bit of a dampener on the holiday.
So, my advice: have the swimming gear, towels, and most definitely the sun cream, easily accessible, cream the top of feet, and be prepared to limit how much sun you have in the early part of your holiday, whilst your skin adjusts.
9. Travelling
Travelling can be boring and there's often a lot of waiting around. Make sure you've downloaded something to watch or listen to whilst travelling and/or pack a great book to read. Music, podcasts, stories and films are all a great way to unwind, pass the time, bring enjoyment and relieve the stress of travelling. Also an easy to carry game like a pack of cards can be fun.
A memory that has stuck with me from childhood is my mum giving me a present at the airport (a new 'My Little Pony), it kept me entertained and added to the happiness of setting off on holiday (a win for Mum and a win for me). I carried on this tradition with my kids.
Check that your phone is set to 'roaming' so you can access the internet and calls and messages abroad.
I'll leave it there, but I'll add some links to my other blogs which expand on some of these points and you may find helpful:
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