Holiday travel - preparation

Stylogs,

I'm Looking forward to the bank holiday weekend and the following week. Holiday weeks with the family are always interesting, to say the least. You can’t stop thinking about the break. So much so that by the time you actually get there it is such an anti climax. But first you have to endure the planning, the preparation, the travel and the kids throughout the time in the car, the plane or whatever mode of transportation you are using.

Planning used to be simple. You pop down to the travel agent, and accept their advice, which was somewhere between the Thompson package and a Butlin’s week. When catalogues came out, you were allowed to dream and visualise yourself in those sunny pictures.  Things have changed a fair bit, in March 2013, Thomas Cook, the world's oldest travel firm, announced it was cutting 2,500 British jobs and closing 195 of its high street travel agencies in the UK.

How things were (click on the image for some more nostalgia):

 

So you think that now planning is easier. Now is it? Hours spent on Google going back and forth into Easyjet (I make a point of staying off Ryan Air – don’t like to be treated like s&%t), Center Parcs, and for some special holidays – Mr & Mrs Smith.

School holidays are a bottomless pit. Prices rocket to the stratosphere and all you can do is basically nothing. I guess in my childhood, it wasn’t an issue, as people didn’t travel that much (at least not overseas). These days prices are 200% or more higher during this gold rush period (for airlines and tour operators).

Packing is another joy of traveling. How can I fit everything into a 20 Kg suitcase? You need at least a few sets for the days, not to mention something casual for the evenings. And something formal. And then the kids, and the basic toiletries and the iPad and the chargers and... and..

There is no magic formula on how to pack your bags, but here's one good piece of holiday packing advice I found.

And then they limit the size of your carry on luggage to a small wheely suitcase. I try to pack it with food, I can’t stand the food they serve and charge a fortune for.

Next time we’ll talk about the travel day and the joys of the day.