Many of us are making money moves and planning all types of holidays this summer. Whether you’re planning on partying in Ibiza, interrailing across Europe or taking sabbatical to travel a certain corner of the world; it’s fundamental that we all know how to stay safe during our travels. You must take every action necessary to keep yourself and others safe. Please see below for my top five tips for travelling this summer…
Buying the correct travel insurance
Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but getting the correct travel insurance matters. Everyone has high hopes for their holidays and people never expect anything to go wrong. Accidents, mistakes and things totally out of our control happen all the time during our daily lives. This can unfortunately happen on holiday too.
Travel insurance ensures that if things do go wrong, you’re fully protected and rescued from having to spend thousands, maybe even millions on healthcare and/or recovering unprecedented costs associated with your holiday (such as baggage and cancelled flights). It’s all about being fully knowledgeable about your destination, your travel dates and your own health and wellbeing before buying travel insurance.
I recommend Compare the Market’s Travel Insurance: it will automatically filter the cheapest option for you, which is usually good enough for short trips. However, for longer trips, this gets more complicated. Some people have travel insurance through their banks but this is restricted to approximately one month. If you’re travelling for longer then you need to go out of your way to purchase the correct insurance. It will ask if you want any extras insuring, such as ‘phones and gadgets’ and ‘cruise cover’. Make sure you include these if they’re necessary. It will then ask if you have a pre-existing medical condition. This covers absolutely everything, from cancer to asthma. Make sure you answer this question honestly.
Finding the best website to book a summer holiday
With modern technology constantly bettering itself, many websites and options for booking holidays online are ever-present. TUI is great for all-inclusive holidays for all destinations from Europe to the USA to the Caribbean. Jet2Holidays is great for cheap and cheerful holidays mainly in Europe. Booking.com is great for accommodation as they don’t just have hotels on their website. They also include villas, apartments and essentially anywhere you can lay your head to rest at night. SkyScanner is sensational for finding flights to anywhere in the world. If you filter the search to United Kingdom instead of your local airport, then you’ll find the best deals in the country!
Passport validity and the 10 year rule
Passports are valid for a maximum of 10 years. Most countries don’t permit you entry unless you have at least 6 months left on your passport. If your passport needs renewing, the sooner you do this the better. Waiting times for new passports can be anywhere from 10 weeks and beyond. You’ll need to factor this into your travel plans. I would advise that you don’t book a holiday until you have a valid passport in your possession. Also, remember to check if you need a Visa or an ESTA or any other documents as well as your passport before travelling. See here: https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice
Money and local currency:
As the cost of living crisis is in full swing (provided that your holiday is not an all-inclusive one), you need to prepare to spend more money whilst abroad this year. Additionally, I would recommend that you check whether or not your bank charges for foreign transactions. If it does, you might want to consider setting up another bank account for the purpose of travelling, particularly if you’re travelling for more than a couple of weeks. For example, if you set up a Monzo account, you can use your card abroad for free and if you choose to pay in local currency, you’ll always get the best exchange rates. Arguably, the best thing to do is a 50/50 split between a bank card and cash in local currency. Make sure you order your currency as early as possible as it’s not guaranteed that your travel agency will have the currency you need in store.
Buying the right suncream
When it comes to suncream, SPF and keeping your skin protected, the stronger the better. My general advice is to buy moisturisers with SPF in them, so you already have that protective layer on your skin every day. Then, in terms of suncream, you should opt for SPF50+ and if it’s water resistant, then that’s a bonus too. Perfect for keeping your skin safe whilst chilling in the pool with a cocktail!
Happy summer and stay safe!