Holiday do’s and don’ts please.

[fireworksandflowers]

Tell me your holiday do’s and don’ts.

first time travelling abroad (lanzarote) with 2 children dd 11 and ds 8. What things can I do to make everything easier and run smoother.

First aid kit with painkillers and basic remedies for sunburn, insect bites, upset tummy etc, in case you can't immediately get to a pharmacy.

Important phone numbers such as insurance, travel agent, bank, family at home etc, written down and kept separately from your phone, in case you lose your phone.

Also some cash carried separately.

A few essentials such as clean underwear and t shirts in your hand luggage in case luggage goes astray.

-Eye mask and ear buds in case the room is noisy/bright
-I always take some local cash and use this site to check the best rates near me. NEVER buy at the airport. https://travelmoney.moneysavingexpert.com/
-Check your mobile contract and what the roaming charges are. Generally better to turn roaming off when you can
-Do you have transfers (to/from airport and hotel) as part of your ticket? If not, check online what the taxi process is at the airport and if its a metered rate or a haggled one. I assume metered as its part of Spain, but never been to the Canaries. Or, if there are other transport options.
-I always take 50+ sunscreen with me because some formulations abroad aren't as good
-Tampons/sanitary items. Again, likely not an issue there, but I recall charades with a male, Thai, pharmacist trying to explain I wanted tampons! 🤦‍♀️
-Take more than 1 swimsuit. Sometime they don't dry in air conditioned rooms and not all rooms have a balcony. Nothing worse than putting on cold, yet swimwear.
-Check online what the local specialities are. I always love trying new things
-Photocopy of each of your passports and kept separately

All wear tightly fitting masks, preferably N95 or kn95 in the airports and on the flights. Or run the risk of spending your holiday sick with a virus you caught from your fellow travellers. Air quality on planes is sh!t, illness risk is very high. And airports are full of international travellers bringing whatever is raging in their country eg in New York 1 in 40 currently estimated to have covid.

Smart travellers mask up on planes.

Mix people’s clothes up in cases - so if one goes missing you have at least all got one other outfit.
Do not ‘over plan’ I see it on here a lot. It’s a holiday - if all your kids want to do is play in the pool then that’s preferable to them than being dragged around ‘the old town’ it’s everyone’s holidays. You don’t always have to be ‘doing’.

Agree with mixing stuff up between the different cases - but consider using packing cubes so it's easy to identify everyone's clothes.

Agree about the phone numbers but don’t about the masks! We have just come back from Lanzarote and nobody was wearing a mask anywhere - I’m sure your kids wouldn’t!!
There is nothing you cannot get in Lanzarote- in the tourist areas everyone speaks English and pharmacies are open until late into the evening so just take basic items.
I don’t fill up with shower gels/shampoos either as they are heavy to carry and cheaper there (hotel shower gels I find to be drying).
Agree about mixing up the luggage incase one case gets delayed although that’s unlikely.
Get the kids to pack something in their hand luggage to do on the plane, it’s about 4 hours. And check your roaming charges before you go, most companies cover Europe anyway but best to check.
Also check the rates if you are paying by card, we tend to use a prepaid Revolut card as it cheaper and if it gets lost only what’s on it is lost.
Above all just relax and enjoy!!

Lord, I can feel the stress rising on reading all these instructions.
You need passports, tickets, meds, bit of cash/card. Anything else can be bought when you get there.
(Not at the airport unless you enjoy paying over the odds.)
Have a great time.

Lay out all the clothes you think you need.Reduce it by half. Nothing worse than struggling to pack and then bringing stuff home unworn.
Use hotel safes where possible
Photocopy your passport and keep copy separate
Cross body bag to keep hands free
Small amount of Euros just in case
If your kids are likely to get bored easily , think about toys/books for the plane journey. If luggage space allows pack a small suprise for the flight home.

i travel with backpack so can keep my hands free.

my children also have their own backpack with their own electricals etc. i also pack a few snacks and fidget toys for them. i also pack a small bag in my suitcase on the way back with extra snacks etc (those small island airports don’t have much in the airports).

we buy supermarket meal deals for the plane. you can’t take drinks though security, so we leave those in the car.

take empty bottles though security and fill up with water when you get through. we tsk this on the plane and should last us until we get to the hotel.

i tske a small cooler bag with me in my suitcase case for lounging by the pool or days out, to keep drinks cool.

i bought some pool toys in the UK from the pound shop/aldi etc as they are cheaper than what you get abroad (tourist prices). Small things like water squirters, sinkers. Don’t forget goggles as well.

generally, i agree with @tartyflette - you can pretty much buy what you when you are there, or you realise you can do without, so don’t overthink it. we have a small first aid bag with plasters, paracetamol etc but that’s about it.

Other things:
-If paying by credit card there and you have option of paying in local currency or £'s, ALWAYS select local currency
-There used to be an option on my bank account (HSBC) to advise I was travelling, which country, dates etc and then your card is less likely to be stopped by them for unusual usage
-If you/the kids like a certain squash, you can buy those mini bottles of them. They may well sell them there, but there is nothing worse than buying a random brand and it tasting awful. https://www.sainsburys.co.uk/gol-ui/product/robinsons-squashd-orange-66ml

I thought the advice was to always pay in sterling? Or is it different for a credit card

Honestly I have travelled multiple times with 4DC. It's like going on holiday in the UK for the most part. Don't over think it.

I always make sure we have snacks for the fight as plain snacks are expensive.

I take giant lollipops for the kids to use during take off and landing as it tends to distract them.

If kids have devices put them in airplane mode.

Let the bank know you are going abroad.

Once in Turkey we had to give each person their ticket and passport at boarding. My then 8 year old lost her ticket even though she was sitting down at the gate. So now if this happens I give each person their ticket and passport as they are being checked.

No - always local currency whatever the kind of card.

If you are paying in cash well that is one thing and you'd need to look at what exchange rate you got. If paying with a card though, always choose the local currency option.

www.hsbc.co.uk/international/should-you-pay-in-local-currency/

There's nothing to worry about, you don't need to do anything special to make it easier with children of that age going to somewhere like Lanzarote. Just make sure you don't forget essentials like medications, sun cream (so you can go straight out when you get there) and have fun.

Has anyone mentioned travel plugs? You may want to take a couple so you aren't arguing over or queuing up to use one.

Relax and don’t worry first of all - it’s Spain not Mongolia (and you can buy everything you need there too!). Take a first aid kit, include bite cream, Imodium, painkillers, antiseptic wipes and plasters as a minimum. If any of you take prescription meds carry a weeks extra supply in your hand luggage in case of delays, may sound overkill but if flights get messed up it’s one less worry. Headphones for the plane if it’s the kind with in flight entertainment or suitable distractions for dc if it’s not - I’m happy watching the maps myself but I think I’m weird and not all airlines offer this. Check out what the beach towel arrangements are, varies by resort, some require a cash deposit on arrival, we just take our own for ease.most of all check those passports (unless all new) to ensure they are valid, so many horror stories of expired passports.

actually also take a tube of dr Beckmanns hand wash, means you can quickly wash a few bits and take less with you, most accommodation provides a clothes airer for drying.

Btw I don’t bother with cash and never wear a mask, we all have different opinions, we travel all over and the only country I drew cash out of an ATM in was India because I didn’t have the paytm app

I always cross pack and take swimwear and a change of clothes in hand luggage.
First aid kit
power bank to charge phones on the go.

Lanzarote is lovely.

Do the caves and the volcano park,

Give yourself enough time at the airport on the way back. They've changed the way you go through the airport now. There were complaints of huge queues. On the way back you have to complete the self registration checks by gate 6 BEFORE you go to the gate . So do that as soon as you get through security or you will be sent back out of the queue for the gate to go and do it !

The most useful thing I’ve bought for holidays lately are travel plugs with a few USB and USBC ports, for all the phones / headphones/ powerbanks.

Email yourself copies of passports and send someone else your insurance docs. No point getting hit by a bus and nobody knowing who you’re insured with.

Booze is cheaper in duty free so stock up on your way there!

If you are going to arrive late at night put the pyjamas, toothbrushes and toothpaste at the top of the case. (And remember which one!)

If parking in the airport car park then make a note on your phone exactly and in detail where your car is. This particularly applies if you are returning at night. You will be sure that you will remember so don’t need to do this. You won’t. You do.

Money

If you have time, get a Revolut card, as it doesn’t charge extra for paying in a different currency. Halifax also does a credit card that has the same benefit.

I never change cash these days as can pay on card everywhere.

Travel docs

If you haven’t paid for seats together, check in for your flight as soon as check in opens (make a diary note). That way you are more likely to have seats together.

Take a copy of insurance policy and claim phone number. Take passports and check validity.

NB EU rules say passports expire 10 years after issue- check your passport issue date as well as expiration date, as the UK govt sometimes issues them to last 10 yrs 6 months or so, but the EU won’t recognise those extra 6 months.

Packing - useful items that are easy to forget

Chargers and adaptor plugs. Remember chargers for eg toothbrush/headphones not just phone.
Medication (in hand luggage ideally).
(Remember hand luggage can’t have any liquids over 100ml.)
Sunglasses
Earplugs
card game
Headphones

Agree a basic first aid kit is useful- nurofen, calpol, plasters, imodium, piriton. Yes you can buy this all there but it’s just easier to have it to hand

Agree that you can reduce clothes by half! I always take too many.

Hire a nanny for the entire trip. Stay in a different hotel to the kids. Meet them for lunch once or twice. Kiss them goodbye and go off to the beauty centre/spa/sauna/shopping.

Just like the Royals do it I suppose. Maybe ask them? 😊