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| Photo by Freeimages.com/Anissa Thompson |
by Nick Trend and Consumer travel expert, The Daily Telegraph, July 22, 2016
Is it really better to travel than to arrive? Perhaps. If you have the luxury of time, you aren’t in a hurry, you aren’t surrounded by fractious kids, and, crucially, you aren’t trying to get from A to B during the most frantic time of the year. For all those travelling during the busy summer period, the journey is the part we are dreading most. It is arriving that we are looking forward to, and we want to do it in the most stress-free way possible.
So, given that we have ended up travelling at the worst time of year, what can be done to make the process as painless as possible? Much depends of course on whether you are driving or flying, making a short hop, or in for a long haul; whether your children or grandchildren are three or 13; whether you are a single parent or with your extended family. But there are plenty of precautions and strategies which can be of help. Our guide to a smooth getaway this summer starts here.
Assuming your passport and your EHIC is still valid, you’ve bought your insurance, booked your airport parking, ordered any currency you need and checked in online, you are now down to very last minute preparations.
24 hours To Go
If you are hiring a car, generate your access code for your driving licence details. This can only be done less than 72 hours before you pick up the car. Printing out (or making sure you have digital copies of) other documents – hotel bookings, holiday confirmations, villa descriptions, travel insurance details (with emergency helpline number) – can also save time if things don’t turn out as expected. It’s also worth checking the weather forecast in your destination. The best website for this is weather2travel.com .
When it comes to packing, I’m a minimalist and certainly not an expert. But one suggestion which might help is to keep a list of the things you wish you had brought – especially those which, like sunscreen and mosquito repellent, you then had to go out and buy at inflated prices. And also those things that you wish you hadn’t brought: the clothes you didn’t wear, the books you didn’t read. Then, if you put the list in your empty suitcase, so you don’t lose the list, or forget you made it, it might just be a help this time next year.
For some more detailed suggestions and tips, see our packing guide, and for tips on packing medical essentials, see travelhealth.co.uk .
Before You Shut the Door
Checking the latest traffic reports will reduce the stress of getting to the ferry port, or airport. Updates on road congestion in Britain is available on the Highways Agency website ( highways.gov.uk ). Information on Transport for London ( tfl.gov.uk ) and updates on rail fares, timetables, engineering work and delays ( nationalrail.co.uk ). For predictions of road conditions in France, see bison-fute.equipement.gouv.fr .
Getting Through the Airport
There are two schools of thought when it comes to coping with airports. The first suggests that you allow the minimum amount of time, thereby reducing the boredom of waiting. The second has it that you should allow plenty of time and reduce the stress of being late. At peak times, I’m definitely in the latter camp. I’d rather arrive, relax, and have a proper meal, so that the airport becomes a controlled stage in the journey, rather than a frantic rush for the plane. Either way, here are some strategies to reduce your time in queues and make the best of the wait.
Queuing
Stick to hand baggage if you can, though check weight and size restrictions on your airline’s website. Prepare in advance for the security queue. Rules on carrying liquids are available at gov.uk/hand-luggage-restrictions/overview . Pack coins, metal objects and your belt in hand luggage before you leave home; don’t wear clumpy shoes – they may have to be x-rayed; and if you do have to travel at peak times, consider paying to use the priority security lane. Many airports now offer this option – it’s £5 per person at Stansted, for example.
Waiting
If you have a long wait, you’ll want to find some peace and quiet. One reliable option is to seek out the airport chapel – there’s always a multi‑denominational room you can retire to. If you don’t fancy that, or you have children with you, then my usual tactic is to get away from the central shopping areas. Go to the gate if at all possible, or look for upstairs galleries and restaurants. Anywhere which takes a little effort to get to is often likely to be much less busy.
Lounging
Of course, the ultimate way to make your time in an airport more comfortable is to bag a place in an executive lounge. There will be free food, drink, newspapers, magazines, comfy chairs, and often lots of natural light and windows overlooking the runway. You’ll have plenty of peace and quiet while you wait for your flight to be called. You probably aren’t travelling club class however, so won’t have free access, but you can buy your way in from around £20 a head: compare rates offered by sites like loungepass.com, holidayextras.co.uk or travelsupermarket.com .
The ultimate way to make your time in an airport more comfortable is to bag a place in an executive lounge
Note too that some elite credit cards and premium bank accounts include lounge access as a benefit. Some air miles schemes also allow you to trade in points in return for free lounge passes. Avios, for example, gives you access to more than 200 lounges at 120 airports. It will cost you from 3,250 points, and you can collect Avios in all sorts of ways – from British Airways flights to shopping with Tesco.
When things go wrong
Flights
Thanks to EU regulations, passengers must be properly looked after, and are sometimes entitled generous compensation, when flights are delayed or cancelled, or overbooked. But airlines are notoriously reluctant to cough up. It really helps if you know your rights – especially given the problems with French air traffic control so far this summer – so you can avoid being fobbed off.
Know your rights: how to get compensation from your airlinePlay!01:55
Health
If you suffer a medical emergency, and you have travel insurance, be aware that the situation is not generally dealt with directly by the company you bought the insurance from but by a specialist “assistance” company, either owned by the insurance underwriter, or run independently.
In matters of life and death, there will obviously be no chance to run around trying to contact this company. You need to get medical attention fast – and in some countries you may have to show your insurance document, or even a credit card, to do so. But once the immediate emergency has been dealt with, you should call the assistance company’s emergency number on your insurance policy.
.html-embed.component .quote.component{margin-left:0}.html-embed.component .quote.component .component-content{margin-right:16px}.quote__source, .quote__author {white-space: normal;}@media only screen and (min-width:730px){.html-embed.component .quote.component{margin-left:-60.83px}.html-embed.component .quote.component .quote__content:before{margin-left:-12px;padding-right:1px}}@media only screen and (min-width:1008px){.html-embed.component .quote.component{margin-left:-82.33px}}If you don’t have travel insurance, you are pretty much on your own
If the situation is not acute, check your policy before getting a consultation, treatment, or prescription. Insurers normally require you to get authorisation for any treatment costing more than £500 – again the emergency number is your point of contact.
If you don’t have travel insurance, you are pretty much on your own, although an EHIC card entitles you to treatment on the same basis as any other EU national while the local British consul should be able to help you with practical arrangements in an emergency.
The Foreign Office website ( fco.gov.uk ) lists contact numbers and addresses of British embassies and consulates.
Crime, scams and the police
The police are the obvious first port of call if you are a victim of any type of crime. If you want to make a claim on your travel insurance policy, you will need written confirmation that the police have been informed. If, on the other hand, you have problems with the police themselves, your first port of call should be the nearest British consul. The consul or embassy can issue a new passport as long as the theft has been reported to the police, and you can answer questions about its loss. An emergency replacement costs £100; most good travel insurance policies cover this.
Complaints
Holidays are emotive things, you are under stress and you have high expectations. So when things go wrong, it can be hard to keep things in perspective and to remain focused on how best to solve problems. So before complaining, it’s worth asking yourself how bad it really is. Holidays are rarely perfect, and a small thing blown out of proportion can ruin them needlessly.
On the other hand, when faced with a real issue, don’t allow yourself to suffer in silence. Let the operator, agent, hotelier or villa owner know as soon as you become aware of a problem. They may not realise something has gone wrong, and if you don’t give them the chance to rectify it, you will be on weak ground if you decide to claim compensation later.
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It sounds obvious but, even if you are feeling stressed or angry, it’s also important to be friendly and reasonable. Not only will you stand a better chance during a court or mediation process if you are perceived as having been calm, you are also much more likely to resolve the situation before it spoils your holiday. In the early stages, confrontation is counterproductive.
If that doesn’t work, the key thing is to gather written, photographic and video evidence of the issue and, if appropriate, the contact details of witnesses. This could be absolutely crucial if you have to take your case to court or arbitration.
Additional research by Sophie Butler
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This article was written by Nick Trend and Consumer travel expert from The Daily Telegraph and was legally licensed through the NewsCred publisher network.
