It’s the Easter holidays and for many of us that means our first trip away of the year. If you’re taking a break this month, here are some ways to make your journey and holiday stress-free so that you can enjoy your hard-earned time off…
If you’ve got children it’s likely that you’ve been looking forward to the school Easter break for some time. Maybe you’ve even booked a holiday to make the most of the two weeks off? Whether you’re planning a staycation in the UK or are heading off for a bit of sun abroad, here are a few travel tips that might help you to worry less and enjoy your holiday more.
TRAFFIC
If you’re travelling in the UK, it’s likely that you’ll end up on a motorway at some point. And seeing as everyone else in the UK is also travelling over Easter, it’s going to be busy on the roads. The best way to keep your journey stress-free if to set off with plenty of time to spare. That way, if you’re stuck in a traffic jam for a while, you won’t start fuming about being late. You can sit back with the radio on and get out the ‘traffic jam kit’. If you’re travelling with children, this should include some games, snacks and drinks.
Maybe you’ll enjoy joining in with a good old fashion game of eye-spy while you’re crawling along at a snails pace? Or you can pop on your favourite music and just enjoy the ride. And don’t be afraid to deviate from your SatNav journey if the roads are blocked. Turn off at the next junction and work your way around the problem – you may find something exciting (like when I spotted Jodrell Bank on a recent detour in Cheshire!) to keep you entertained while the roads clear.
FLIGHTS
This leads us nicely on to flights. Arriving in time is no problem if you set off early enough, allowing plenty of time for traffic on the roads. There’s nothing more stressful than starting your holiday by rushing to the airport or getting frustrated while sitting in traffic. My pals sometimes stay at the hotel airport the night before to make sure they’re relaxed when they fly.
Of course, there’s sometimes things outside of your control that can cause worry, such as delays and cancellations. Don’t worry if you discover that your flight is affected by a delay or cancelled when you’re at the airport. According to Flightright, there’s an EU regulation that any flight taking off or landing in the EU cannot cause you to arrive at your destination more than 3 hours late, but if it does you’ll get compensation. So it might be worth taking a good book with you and think of the silver lining while you wait for your delayed flight.
TRAINS
There’s a similar kind of system with train journeys that you’ve booked. If a train is delayed and you end up arriving at your destination 30 minutes late, you can often get 50% of your ticket cost back, and if you end up being an hour late, you can sometimes get a full refund (speak to your specific rail provider to confirm the details). So again, there’s a silver lining – and you’ll be waiting in a station where you can probably grab a bite to eat, use the loo and find a magazine or newspaper to entertain you.
Travelling on a train can be good fun, as your holiday starts the moment you board the train. You no longer have to worry about the journey or traffic, you can watch a film or read a book, and you’ll step off the train at your destination. I loved travelling to Edinburgh in this way earlier this year, and it was so much faster than driving there. My husband didn’t like it quite as much, as the leaning motion of the pendolino train made him feel a little queasy – but we both agreed that it was so convenient and made us feel like we were on holiday straight away.
What other travel hacks do you have to make your journey to your holiday destination more enjoyable and less stressed? Let me know in the comments. If you have kids, I’d love to hear how you keep them entertained on public transport or in the car so please leave your tips below 🙂
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