Taking a family vacation over Christmas is a way to relax and spend quality time with the friends and family, away from the hustle and bustle of day-to-day life. In order to ensure the trip is a success, consider the following before starting your trip: accommodation, luggage, travel route, vehicle and contact numbers.
First – The Accommodation
Christmas is a busy time of the year, everyone desperately wanting to get away and accommodation in popular destinations are almost always booked up well in advance. In order to avoid the race to find a house or flat to rent, you need to book well in advance.
Booking in advance will ensure you get to pick your holiday home – remember a comfortable home will allow you to enjoy yourself and not have you grumbling about the poor sea view or quality of the beds.
Second – The Travel Route
Once you have booked the accommodation, the next important step is to plan your journey. Take a map or enter the GPS co-ordinates into your computer and find the three best possible routes for you to take. In the days before you depart study the weather channel and road reports – you do not want to find yourself stuck half way because a road has washed away or have congested traffic make you arrive ten hours later at your destination.
Three – Pack Wisely
Packing bags is an art – often the female assumes the role of ‘commander in chief of packing’, ensuring all the bags, food and accessories make it into the car. Remember over packing the vehicle will lower your fuel consumption and could be a dangerous obstruction for the driver as they are unable to see through the rear view mirror or past the side mirrors.
Ensure that once fully packed, the vehicle is spacious enough for the whole family and also that all drivers are able to see at all times.
Four – Your Vehicle
The most important part of your preparation is to check the car you are traveling in. Ensure the tread levels, pressure and spare tyre are all correct, all the lights are operational; the oil and water levels are correct, license disk and so on. Remember you can never check the car too many times.
To ensure you are fully prepared, take a bottle of water along on the journey in case the radiator or water cooler springs a leak.
Five – Contact Numbers
Before you set out on your holiday, ensure you leave contact numbers and keys to your house with a friend or family member. Other contact numbers you need to have are: the accommodation place you will be staying at and your insurance emergency centre.
Once you have been through this process, it is time to leave for your holiday. Remember to ensure you do not drive for long periods of time and to relax and enjoy your time away – you earned it.
I am Greg Jones, a sports and food nut, an adventure junkie, property and personal loans expert, but most importantly a holiday lover. Join me this year in making your holiday the best – try something new, but most importantly – relax and have fun.