Packed, checked and ready to fly!

Before departing for the airport for your well-deserved summer holiday, first make sure that you have secured your home and also packed all the necessary documentation for your holiday.

There are many things that you need to do even before you leave the house in order to secure your property and guard it against theft while you are away. If you have lockable windows make sure they are all secured before you leave; similarly lock all your doors including those on outbuildings, such as garages. Do not close your curtains, as that is an obvious sign that the home is not occupied during the day, but do remember to cancel any milk or newspaper deliveries and ask a neighbour to kindly keep an eye on your property.

For added security you may wish to buy timer switches which turn lights in the house on and off automatically while you are away, giving the illusion that the property is occupied. Although not a security item you may also wish to switch off your hot water heater as there is not point warming water that is not going to be used.

Should the worst happen check that your house contents policy is up to date, and if you don’t have cover you may want to arrange it before you leave: it is estimated that one in ten burglaries are ‘holiday thefts’ where the occupier is away on holiday. It would certainly put a damper on any great holiday memories to return home to find you’d been burgled.

When it comes to preparing the documentary essentials that you need to take abroad there are the obvious items to put in your hand luggage; passports, flight confirmation or tickets, hotel vouchers, cash and credit cards. There are other items to include; if you wish to hire a car abroad, for example, you may wish to pack your driving licence.

One essential is definitely travel money, and that applies even if you are taking debit and credit cards with you. You should certainly take enough local currency to see you through the first couple of days of your holiday as you will have enough to do without hunting down an ATM. But, before you leave, check how much commission your bank will charge for using your cards abroad as it may well prove cheaper to get all your holiday money before you fly.

Other documents you should ensure are in your hand luggage include your holiday insurance certificate. Many packaged banks accounts offer annual travel insurance as part of the benefits, regardless of whether you used that account to pay for holiday.

However, if you don’t have such cover you would be well advised to buy an annual or one-trip travel insurance policy before flying. Medical cover abroad can be expensive, even with E111 cover.  Without insurance you could be personally liable for any medical bills in case of mishap; that especially applies if you are flying to the USA. In addition insurance covers you for missed departures and stolen and lost items.

Of course, it’s not obligatory to have travel insurance when you fly, but do think of the implications of how much you could lose against the relatively low cost of a premium. For that reason alone, it might be best not to trust to chance your trip will be without mishap.

Daniel Collins writes on a number of topics on behalf of a digital marketing agency and a variety of clients. As such, this article is to be considered a professional piece with business interests in mind.