Whether you’re traveling by plane, train, or vehicle, the summer holidays are the ideal excuse to get away from home to explore new sights and adventures. To make the most of your break, here are a few summer travel tips to make your vacation perfect.
Summer travel tips for everywhere
1. Pack your bags like a pro
Easier said than done right, huh? Packing is a fine balance of bringing what you really need without taking too much of it. How do you manage that? You plan ahead and use a really good list. Bring everything you need, choose clothes you can mix and match and try to stick to your packing list. Just be careful not to bring too much of anything.
If you’re visiting a tropical area, you’ll need to bring along the correct clothing. You should pack bathing suits, skirts, t-shirts, and tank tops when going to the beach or on a cruise. And while summer usually implies warm sunny weather, you should still prepare for the worst. A raincoat or an umbrella can be a perfect addition to your summer clothing!
If you forget something at home, you should be able to buy a replacement at your summer travel destination. The only downside will be the price. Many popular holiday destinations have inflated prices. That’s why I’m encouraging you to check you have everything you need in your luggage before you leave on vacation.
2. Have all your papers ready
Whenever you leave home, no matter where you’re going to, you need to have some form of identification:
- Inside the country, an ID or driver’s license will suffice.
- Abroad, you’ll need an ID or passport, depending on where you’re from and where you’re going.
In addition to that, I encourage you to get travel insurance and car insurance. Sure, it means spending a bit more on the summer holiday. However, if you get ill or injured or you crash the car, they’ll come in handy.
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3. Take care of your things
We all want our gadgets with us while we travel, but it’s better to travel as lightly as you can. Valuables we can’t leave at home (like money, credit cards, and passports) can be kept in a fanny pack or concealed in a hidden pocket.
Also, don’t leave your luggage unattended. Not only does it make security personnel very uneasy in airports, but it becomes an easy mark for thieves. Travelers are particularly vulnerable at the arrival and departure points in airports , train stations, bus terminals, and boat docks where there is a lot of activity and confusion.
4. Be flexible
Avoid a strict schedule while on holiday. Allow time for delayed flights and traffic jams. Even if you don’t get the chance to do something as planned, you may still end up being even more memorable than the planned stops.
Learn about the importance of flexibility to book cheap flights.
5. Always be prepared
When traveling by car, have an emergency kit that contains jumper cables, flares or flashing alarm triangles, a first aid kit, and a flashlight with fresh batteries.
And no matter how you travel, don’t leave your prescription medication at home.
6. Stay safe
When you check in at your hotel, lock the door, check the adjacent doors and all the windows. Search the closets to make sure there’s no one inside. Learn where the emergency exists are.
I am also encouraging you to let friends and family know where you are going. If you have an itinerary, give this information to someone you trust. If something happens, you can be reached easily.
7. Bring your camera
This one sounds obvious to me, but you’d be surprised how many people either forget to bring the camera, the camera charger or the memory card, etc. Prepare your camera equipment in advance so that you have it ready to go. That way, you won’t miss that perfect sunset or the first encounter with a dolphin.
8. Keep the little ones occupied
If you’re traveling with kids keep them occupied to avoid hearing Are we there yet? all the way to your summer travel destination. Let them pack their own travel bags with items they like to play with so they will stay busy on the plane or in the car. You can also buy cheap travel games at the supermarket or play stuff like I Spy, etc.
9. Use sunscreen, hats & sunglasses
There’s nothing worse than getting sunburned on the first few days of your summer vacation. You’ll be miserable for the rest of your trip, so keeping safe from the sun is critical.
Summer travel tips by destination
Although summer travel tips can be of assistance to you, sometimes they’re difficult to apply. This is because not everyone is going on a summer holiday in the same place. Keeping your travel destination in mind, here is some summer vacation advice:
1. The beach
Perhaps the most popular summer holiday destination is the beach. Millions of individuals and families go to the beach every year. When you’re on a summer holiday at the beach, it’s necessary to bring along the correct clothes and sunscreen. Many holidaymakers do not realize the dangers of sunbathing without sunscreen. In addition to sunscreen, you’ll need to make sure you’ve got beach towels and plenty of drinks on hand.
2. Cruise ships
Cruise ships are another popular holiday choice for many individuals and families. When you are on a summer cruise, you are encouraged to start packing for your journey as soon as you book it.
When you’re planning for your cruise, it’s important to bear in mind where your ship is going and what stops are planned along the way. A passport is required in international waters or when traveling to a foreign country. Passports can be easily obtained, but they do require approval. Therefore register for a passport as soon as you make a reservation on a cruise ship. Also, check if you need a visa.
3. Camping
When camping, you’ll need to know where you’re going to sleep:
- If you’re camping in an RV, you’ll need to make sure you’ve got plenty of supplies.
- If you’re planning on camping outdoors, you’ll need to make sure that you’ve got your tents ready to go and that all the pieces are accounted for.
You’ll have a variety of equipment to choose from, including tents, bicycles, outdoor tools, and backpacks. Not to worry: the days of big, heavy backpacks are gone. The latest backpacks are lightweight and come with extra functionality to make the most of every square inch, like the Ultralight Sea to Sky Pack.
If the right pack is taken care of, ensuring that you have important survival resources, including area charts, first aid equipment, and extra food and water, will ease your worries and allow you to enjoy the trip.
Pack right with my camping supplies checklist
and check out my backpack checklist if you’re planning to go on hikes, too.
Summer travel tips for a safe home
Summertime is the main holiday season. The last thing people care about when they’re on a cruise ship, an island, a beach, or anywhere the trip takes you, is what’s going on at home. Dark windows or locked curtains and piles of letters or newspapers are some of the things that tell a burglar the house is empty. So before you go on vacation, take care of your home by following the next summer travel tips:
1. Get a house-sitter
Ask a trusted friend or family member to stay at your place while you’re on your summer holiday. It’s a great way to fool burglars into thinking you’re still at home.
If you don’t have a friend or family member that can do it, ask your neighbor to come over and switch on a couple of lights and the TV or the radio to make a thief think the place is lived in.
You can also use TrustedHousesitters to find someone to stay in your house while you’re away. They get to travel to your city and get free accommodation at your place. And you will have someone watching the house, taking care of your pet, and/or watering your plants. It’s a fair deal, don’t you think?
2. Help your sitter feel right at home
Make sure that whoever is taking care of your house knows how to handle all the alarms. Give them the codes to turn everything on and off. And if you’re unavailable, leave them a contact list so they know whom to call in case something happens.
3. Don’t let your mail pile up
If you can’t find or don’t want a house sitter, you need to stop the incoming mail. A stack of mail on your doorstep or an overflowing mailbox is bound to attract the attention of a burglar.
Unless you can interrupt the mail after discussing with your post office, ask a friend, a family member or a neighbor to pick up your mail and hold it until you return.
4. Take care of your plants
Don’t let your plants die while you’re enjoying your summer vacation. Set an automatic watering system or ask someone to water them for you. Dry plants in windows, on balconies or in a normally spectacular garden are a dead giveaway that nobody’s home.
5. Talk to your landlord
If you live in an apartment, inform your landlord that you’re going on a summer vacation when you don’t have a house-sitter. That way, they can take action an enter your vacant apartment in case of emergency.
Summer travel tips: What to avoid
Here are some summer travel tips that will teach you a few things you shouldn’t do on vacation:
1. Avoid peak season
Try not to travel during peak times unless you’re a glutton for punishment. Although it may be tempting to take advantage of long summer weekends, you’ll waste hours in getting there and feel crowded once you arrive.
2. Don’t break the bank
An Expedia study showed that 57% of travelers spent most of their holiday expenses on food and drinks in restaurants. An easy way around this is to book a vacation in an all-inclusive resort or an apartment with a kitchen.
Another thing to try is to find out what you can do for free at your summer vacation destination. Especially for families with kids, you might find a lot of parks, museums, or even fun activities that won’t cost a dime.
3. Don’t overdo it
You ‘re on vacation, don’t schedule too much in a short amount of time. Give yourself time to relax and enjoy the glorious summer days and nights.
I can’t stress enough how important it is for everyone to enjoy a summer vacation after a long year of hard work. Planning the holiday can sound complicated, but with all the summer travel tips you read above, it’s nothing you can’t handle!
Mirela Letailleur is a Romanian travel blogger living in the South of France. She writes on The Travel Bunny travel blog about affordable travel in Europe, creator of unique free travel guides, local travel expert. Problem solver. Wannabe coffee guru.
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