The days leading up to your holiday are pretty exciting, especially if you are well overdue a good break. One thinks about all the things you have to prepare in case you forget something and when you are in a hurry, trust me, you will always forget to bring the camera or something important along.
The best thing that I would recommend to alleviate stress is to plan ahead, make sure you give yourself at least a couple of weeks to plan, make a list of things you need to bring with you. For women who like getting their hair colour done, try getting this done at least a week to four days before you leave and while you’re at it try a herbal tint. If you take supplements purchase a pill dispenser which you can buy at your local chemist. You don’t need anything big, a simple Monday to Sunday pill dispenser will suffice. Make sure you prepare all your supplements and divide them into each individual day, once done put them straight into your suitcase.
Speaking of your suitcase, again, don’t leave packing until the last moment, do it at least a few days in advance, this way any little thing like packing your supplements can go straight into your case. Organise your currency at least a week in advance, you may even find it beneficial to try and lower your credit card in order to use this as the main source of purchasing (to spend money), this may sometimes works out well with the exchange rate.
Also make sure you go on a good website to compare holiday insurance and its coverage. As for car hire, organise this a few months in advance (providing you know where you’re going). If you have dogs or animals organize the kennels with the same kind of lead time so you’re not disappointed should you not get a place for them; this can cause a lot of stress, especially if you don’t have anyone that can look after your animals while you’re on holiday.
If you travel to the continent take your European health cover card with you to cover you for any medical issues. Get a wallet especially for passports, European health card and currency and make sure you keep this with you at all times, perhaps in a zipped up pocket. If you have a very early plane to catch, lay out your travelling clothes the night before so that you don’t have to worry about what you’re going to wear.
If you have children, I would advise making sure that you pack your child’s medication, such as an inhaler. Take their supplements with you and as a precaution take children’s ibuprofen/paracetamol and pack it into a small first aid kit, this always comes in handy.
If you don’t like flying and get a bit nervous, I would suggest taking some B5 with you, this helps calm the adrenals. You can even take B5 a few weeks before you leave and drink some camomile or valerian tea which also helps you to relax.
Make sure you leave your house key and details with a trusted neighbour, ask them to take out your recycling and rubbish and generally keep an eye on your house.
If you plan a few months ahead, you should be well organised with practically no stress at all.