After these most testing of times the desire to travel, to find life-affirming escapes, has never been stronger in many of us. I’ve certainly had the strongest wanderlust of my life as my wings have been clipped by Lockdowns. But as with most things in life, planning is essential, so along with your travel dreaming it’s a good time to start getting things in order, like getting a passport if you don’t have one or need it renewed. This isn’t always easy as what about a birth certificate for passport requirements? This may not be the first thing you think of when dreaming of the beach so read on as I run through five things to think of when planning a dream trip.
Do your research – I understand the temptation to book somewhere based on the lovely beach or lobster you see on a website, but what about currency, visas and language? The world is a big place and while the differences between countries are one of the true joys of travel, if you don’t do your research your trip may end of up being stressful rather than stress-free.
- Buy at least two travel books – The web is a brilliant place for research, but it’s not so good in the bath tub, or on the road. Invest in a decent guidebook to help you plan your trip and for those moments out there when your device lets you down. The other book I recommend is a travel narrative about a place. Writers have covered most places on the planet, so buy a rich travel narrative to get you in the mood and give you a few insights before you go.
- Check the weather – This sounds obvious, but I meet people every year visiting my native Scotland who don’t. The result? They up freezing at a windswept, snow-lashed castle in December after flying in from a balmy Rome on a longer European trip. I have to put my hand up meekly and admit I once didn’t prepare properly for a January trip that included hiking to Morocco. Yes I was fine sunbathing in Marrakech, but my sneakers were far from ideal hiking in the snow a few days later!
- Sort your passport – This is your travel magic wand. Get our passport renewed if you need to, or if you have to get your first passport get going. Plan in advance as this is not always simple. I sometimes get asked do you need a birth certificate to get a passport and the short answer is yes. And a full one at that. It can be a bit of minefield sourcing one if you’ve lost or misplaced your birth certificate and are in a hurry. Handily Vital Records Online are there to help with a straightforward, automated system that they insist is ‘error free’. And the beauty of this way is you can do it all from the comfort of your home with no stressful queuing. Handily their website has a FAQ section to kick you off on the process.
- Plan your trip to the airport – This is a crucial tip; again it sounds obvious. You may have packed the night before, but if you’ve not booked a taxi of transfer to the airport you might face a mad scramble. I always plan to get to the airport in plenty of time to build in space for delays. This really takes a lot of the stress and hassle out of flying, so try planning on getting there early next time if Covid-19 regulations allow. You can just sit dreaming of your travels while everyone else get anxious. Happy travels!
*This post comes in association with Vital Records Online.
