Travel Addict – Handy Hints & Travel Tips…
There is so much to remember when you’re preparing for a trip away. Whether it be a long weekend or a big family holiday, here are some pointers that might make getting ready to leave just that little bit easier 🙂
Baggage allowances – always check the website of the airline you are flying with for their allowances. This may sound obvious but different airlines can use different terminology and you may end up having to pay excess baggage charges unnecessarily. For example: cabin baggage and hand baggage for some airlines (particularly on short haul flights), can mean two totally different allowance amounts. Also bear in mind that a hand bag invariably on short haul flights is not ‘as well as’ your stated baggage allowance, this is in addition to. So be prepared to either cram everything into your hand bag (not always possible) or flat pack a handbag in the bottom of your case to use the other end. If you do this, it means your everyday items plus passport etc will need to be close to hand in a case pocket for example.
Tip: To avoid a full on fight with your case in the overhead locker searching for your phone/book/headphones/sweets/ipad etc (which can be embarrassing), visit somewhere like Boots or WH Smith when you arrive in departures. Purchase something, can be anything, and ask for a large carrier bag. You can now decant all your essentials into the carrier bag before you board (or place them all in the flat pack hand bag you’ve already packed. Put this inside the carrier bag so it looks like you’ve just bought something in departures, now you have a hand bag ready to use the other end). As soon as you board and find your seat, you can dump your case and it’s now completely hassle free!
Boarding passes – we’ve not come across an airline which does not offer the option to download your boarding passes to your phone. Do this and save them to your phone’s ‘wallet’ once you’ve checked in online. Lets be honest, we all have our phones to hand 99% of the time so accessing your boarding passes here as opposed to a paper copy that you need to keep retrieving is so much easier!
Tip: always check the website of the airport you are flying into. Not all airports across the world have the option to use boarding passes on your phone. Some will still require printed paper copies so print before you leave, or remember to ask your hotel to print them for you before leaving to come home.
Toiletries – everyone knows that you can only pack liquids under 100ml in hand luggage (hold luggage there are no restrictions) and they need to be in a clear bag ready for the scanners at security. I am really not a fan of faffing when it comes to the queues at security. As well as separating out phones/ipads, belts, shoes, coats etc into the trays, toiletries are just one more thing to worry about.
So, this is a trick that will hopefully change your life. It absolutely did for me!! I now order all my toiletries through Boots click & collect online and pick them up once we’re through security. There are so many benefits to this. 1) you have no restrictions on the amounts you can now take which is great for longer trips when 100ml of shampoo for example just won’t cut it. 2) you don’t have to factor into your main case the weight of toiletries (more room for shoes ladies!!!). 3) there are less things to faff about with at security. 4) You now have that large carrier bag I mentioned above!! And if you ditch your empties before your return flight then again, you have no weight restrictions!
Tip: don’t order your toiletries online any earlier than 5 days before you travel. All that will happen is you’ll get to the end of the order and they’ll tell you, you can’t proceed. Also – make sure when you are selecting your store to choose ‘after security’. Not just the general airport store as this will be the wrong side of security and you’ll loose all the benefits of this.
Please give this one a try, it’s a game changer, you won’t regret it I promise!
Thank you for reading my handy hints and travel tips for before you leave home. I hope you’ve enjoyed this blog and found the ideas and suggestions useful.
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Thanks again,
Claire x
Travel Addict 