Top Travel Tips

Travelling can be stressful at the best of times. Between booking flights, finding and booking accommodation, looking for the best locations, trying to pack, and then at the last minute remembering to check in, planning your relaxing getaway is not very relaxing.

Therefore just for you, we have devised a list of 10 Travel Tips to ease the pressure a little bit.

1. Packing Essential Documents: Get yourself an envelope or a folder or a plastic pocket; anything that you can put all of your travel documents into. These include your boarding passes, train tickets, booking confirmation for the hotel, your passport, a map of where you are staying and anything else you may need.

Then make two copies of them all in case you lose the folder. If you’re travelling alone put on folder in your carry on luggage and one in your suitcase, if you’re travelling with someone take one each.

2. Buying Flight Tickets: Keep an eye out for sales on the various airlines to get cheap flight tickets. You can great last minute flight deals on Tuesdays normally.

3. Navigating: Before you go save an offline map to your google maps and take screenshots of the location you will be in. As well turn the location on on your phone before you set out. If you’re not on the smartphone bandwagon, take a screenshot of the map on your computer and print it.

4. Transport: Try to look up the best modes of transport for wherever you’re going. If you’re going to Paris download the RATP map to keep up to date with the metro and train system. If you’re going to Belgium, France, England, Germany or the Netherlands create an account on BlaBla Car to get to the surrounding regions of where you are staying. As well busses tend to be much cheaper than trains for long journeys so be sure to check them out.

There are apps for nearly all modes of transport systems so it might be an idea to google it before you go and take the sting out of getting around before you go over. Missing a train a could ruin your day.

5. Trip Advisor: Trip Advisor is fantastic if you want to find the best restaurants or bars wherever you are, or even if you just want to find things to do. It can open you up to a whole new world and also to escape the typical tourist things to do.

Trip Advisor is just personal reviews from normal people on the best places and things to do in a given region. Also you can write your own reviews and build up points to get discounts from various businesses. Why not give it a go?

6. Luggage: If travelling for a long period and you have too much luggage to carry why not use one of the luggage services like Send My Bag? Bring the essentials you’ll need for your first few days when you’re flying and have your bag sent over to you post arrival. It’ll save you lugging 20 bags around or the stress of trying to meet dimensions for the cabin.

7. Essentials: These are a few things to bring if you’re hostelling: a lock and key for your suitcase, a torch for night time to look for your bits of the lights are out in the dorm, a power bank to charge your phone in case all of the sockets are being used, a multi socket extension lead in case there is only one socket in your room.

8. Travel Apps: There are apps for almost anything and everything these days. If you want to stick to a budget while travelling: download a budget app, if you will be travelling a lot: download a travel map relative to where you’re staying, if you are travelling with someone and want to split the bill, download the lydia app so you can pay them back quickly.

9. Notify your bank: Notify your bank before you leave as they could shut your account down. Depending on the bank, if they notice a lot of withdrawals in foreign territory they will cut your account off which could leave you seriously stuck.

10. Book in Advance: For most tourist sites it is cheaper and easier to book your flights in advance.Check online before you go if it is better to book your tickets before arrival. For example if you travel to Barcelona and want to see the Sagrada Familia, you could have to wait two hours before you can enter if you buy your ticket on the day.

So there you have it. We hope this helps you on your travels! Here’s a final hot tip!

11. Read Blogs: Before you go anywhere have a look for blogs to get personalised and honest information on where it is you’re going. This could save you time, money and stress on arrival if you find a good one!

Beauty Sleep, Inside and Out

However much energy you believe yourself to have mentally, sleep is essential for everyone. Sleep can affect your physical health in the long run, as well as your mental well-being. Whether you have work to do, journeys to make, or even if you just have a lunch-date planned, being properly rested hugely impacts your life on a daily basis and how you deal with what is thrown at you. Beauty sleep affects both your internal and external beauty.   

Getting a proper night of sleep is proven to increase your levels of energy and concentration, and also positively affects your immune system, your appetite, your humor, and your relationships. If you feel things are out of control recently and you feel at a loss trying to organize everything, start by getting one thing right which is a good night’s sleep.

Sleep not only affects how you feel but also how you look. In regards to the physical effects of getting a good night’s sleep, Geoff Wright, who is the director of The Hair and Beauty Partnership in London, says that 'there are set times when our body clock dictates that various processes take place in hair and skin. These times and processes are as follows: From 8pm to 11pm is the time for hydration and stimulation, while 11pm to 3am is the time for nutrition and regeneration, and 3am to 5am is the time for resting.'

So there you have it. It can be concluded that if you are planning a vacation it is essential that you book somewhere where you can rest easy and wake up fresh and ready for whatever the day has in store for you. Travelling is exhausting as it it. You have to pack, organise transport, carry luggage, and in the mean-time watch you back to make sure no one is carrying away one of your bags when you’re not looking! All in all it is essential you are waking up wherever you stay with fresh eyes.