The Best Ways to Reduce Stress While You Travel
Vacations can be relaxing, exciting, educational, and generally a great way to enjoy your life and explore different parts of the world. It’s understandable to look forward to a vacation and, in some cases, the memories will stick with you forever. The journey, on the other hand, can be a nightmare.
Unfortunately, there are some aspects of the journey that you can’t change. But you can do things in advance to make it less stressful and, just maybe, make the journey enjoyable in its own right.
Planning in Advance
One of the best things you can do to make sure that your journey is less of a nightmare is to plan in advance. The chances are that you started thinking about your vacation months or even over a year in advance, but planning is more involved than having a good idea for a vacation.
If you start planning sooner, you will save time, money, and stress when it comes to the journey itself. Work out early on when you can go on your vacation, where you’d like to go, and what you need to get sorted before you can leave.
You don’t actually need to have everything booked and paid for a year before your vacation, but it’s worth giving yourself deadlines. Booking train, plane, and accommodation tickets can be cheaper if you do it far in advance. You can sometimes get last minute deals, but it’s not always worth taking the risk that you won’t get a ticket or a place.
While you don’t need to pack months in advance, it’s a good idea to have a packing checklist, especially if you will have to deal with different weather conditions than you’re used to at home. Then, you can pack in the days leading up to your vacation and make sure you don’t forget anything.
Getting Your Documents Ready
As part of your preparation, you should also look for your passport. Don’t do the passport search the evening before you leave, because if your passport is invalid, you won’t have time to get it sorted before your flight. So, check it as soon as you plan your vacation. Even if it’s technically in date, some countries don’t allow passports that are close to their expiration date, so give yourself plenty of wiggle room.
As well as your passport, which should be checked and then stored in a safe, easily accessible location, you might also need other documents to travel. Most countries will require a VISA or an equivalent document before you can enter the country.
Some countries might need other documents as well. You may also need to get certain vaccinations before you travel. All of this research should be done in advance.
Travel Insurance
One travel document that isn’t necessarily required but is very much recommended is travel insurance. You can legally travel without insurance, but it’s not a great idea.
Travel insurance normally doesn’t cost a lot, but it gives you so much peace of mind. If your flight is delayed and you miss a connecting flight, or if the airline loses your luggage, or something else happens to potentially ruin your trip, travel insurance is more than worth the cost.
Even if the journey still ends up being more stressful than it should have been, travel insurance means that you aren’t out financially. It gives you one less thing to worry about. Even if you can’t travel and have to cancel, some travel insurance policies will also cover those costs, so you can rebook another time.
Booking Your Flights
When booking your flights, you should start looking as soon as possible so you have more options and potentially better deals. Make sure to shop around. You want to consider a few things before booking.
First, you want to think about the price and your budget. You do often get what you pay for, and sometimes it’s worth paying a little extra for a nicer airline or even a higher class ticket. This is especially important for long-haul flights where a touch more care can go a long way.
You should also look at how direct flights are and, if there are layovers, how long they will be. Generally, a more direct flight means a much easier journey, but this can cost a bit more. If you’re getting a layover, you should give yourself time between flights in case your first flight is delayed. Nobody wants to have to run across an airport to get their connecting flight, especially if their luggage doesn’t make the trip anyway. But you also don’t want to end up waiting for hours on end for your next plane, as this can make the journey last much longer.
If possible, try to get perks. Some credit cards might offer travel perks, allowing you to upgrade your tickets or access lounges that will make your journey more comfortable.
Finally, think about your luggage. Carry-on luggage can be cheaper and allow you to travel more smoothly, but you will have to keep it with you at all times. Your luggage will also have to be checked, meaning that some items might not make it through security.
The Airport Experience
Speaking of perks and lounges, you should consider the airport experience and the journey itself. It’s a good idea to use a service like Parking Up to get a parking space in advance so you know you can leave your car at the airport. You might also want to check your tickets in advance to save a bit of time on the trip.
Make sure to bring some carry-on comforts, like books, devices with downloaded shows and headphones, and any medication that you might need on the journey or on vacation. You will have to buy water and food in the airport itself. If you’re able to get a lounge, you will be more comfortable for longer airport stays and may even get complimentary snacks and drinks.
All of this can make the experience a little less stressful.