Festive Season Survival Guide: Travel & Holidays

If you're fortunate enough to be going on holiday during the festive season, good for you. It's your time to relax and recharge but we don't want you to get stressed before you take the time out. With that in mind, here are a few travel tips to ensure you keep your sense of humour!

• Try to plan your activities before you get there, making a schedule of what you want to do and when, otherwise you waste precious holiday time planning.

• Call ahead to clarify what the hotel does/does not have.

• Do you need your hairdryer and do they have laundry facilities, for example?

• Compile a packing list of what you need to take with you, especially if you’re packing for Christmas with family and you have to take presents and food. It wouldn’t be such a merry Christmas if Santa forgot these things at home.

• That being said, try to obey the 50% rule when packing your clothes - whatever you have taken out of your cupboard to pack, divide it in half and only pack the half. We always pack too much.

• If you can, take an extra suitcase or a large canvas bag that folds up easily. This will be useful should you buy more than you anticipated, but if not, use it for dirty clothes or simply fold it and pack it in your suitcase. (You should also take a few empty plastic bags if you need to store dirty clothes.)

• If you are flying overseas and need to take medication with you, make sure you take a letter from your doctor explaining this medicine. The last thing you need is to be stopped and accused of trafficking meds.

• If you have kids and will be spending time in a plane or car to get to your destination, pack games and try to get involved in the activities, otherwise I guarantee you, all you will hear is “Are we there yet!”?

• LASTLY, don’t forget the sunblock, obligatory trashy/suspense novel and that sense of humour!

Top Tips for Packing

• Choose the right luggage for the destination. Dragging an excessively large suitcase from train to train, for example, isn't going to be much fun.

• Smaller luggage may limit what you can take but in the long run, you'll probably be grateful.

• Wrap plastic bags around toiletries or anything that could leak in your suitcase. These are also useful to use for dirty clothes on your return, as rubbish bags on a day trip or even to wrap very dirty shoes between destinations.

• Pack as much as you can in clear plastic vacuum bags or zip lock bags.

• Vacuum bags, which are available from ucandoit.co.za, will help you maximise the space available in the suitcase and it will be much easier to find what you need when you reach your destination. Remember when using these, to divide like with like. It may also be useful to vacuum pack outfits (including accessories and underwear).

• Pack only what you will use and plan to wash on the road. You don't need to be a diva on holiday :) Use multi-purpose clothing and plan your wardrobe.

• If you are going to be washing, invest in a portable washing line and pack some washing powder. You will save money on paying for laundry services too.

Remember these essentials:

• Phone and laptop charger.

• Luggage tags and locks.

• First-aid kit.

• Glasses and contact lenses.

• Medications.

• Umbrella and raincoat.

• Swimming suit and towel (destination dependent of course).

Super Quick Tips

• Layout what you want to pack before you pack. Then eliminate.

• Roll your clothes.

• Vacuum pack what you can.

• Put items into your shoes.

• Use travel-size toiletries.

• Pack neutral colours and comfortable shoes.