As if Christmas isn’t stressful enough, you now have the added benefit of travelling abroad. The presents are taking your suitcase over its weight allowance, you’re not sure if you can carry the turkey through security and to top it off, the children want to know how Santa is going to know they’re not at home!
We may not be able to help with the turkey situation, but we certainly have some top tips to make sure everything else is covered.
The Basics
First things first, it’s easy to get caught up in the madness so make sure that your passport is in date, and you have any relevant visas. This is a key aspect for travelling abroad in general, so make sure you have it all to hand. You will also need relevant travel insurance, as well as any documents that need printing. Make sure you have your airport parking booked, and seeing as it’s Christmas, treat yourselves and book the Meet & Greet, you’ll thank us later when you’re not waiting 20 minutes for the airport bus.
Don’t panic though, if you haven’t got your extras booked, your Personal Travel Consultant is on hand as your Christmas angel to get this arranged for you.
Baggage
Save your Christmas wrapping until you get to your destination. This saves the security agent having to unwrap it while doing security checks and then having a mad dash to the shops to hunt for the glittery Frozen-themed paper that took you ages to find in the first place. If you’re taking valuable presents, take them in your hand luggage so you know you have them safe. Don’t forget if it contains liquid, then it needs to be 100ml or less – this also goes for snow globes!
If you think you’re going to be over your weight limit, don’t wait until you get to the airport to upgrade. Do it before you go! The charges on the day can be higher than if pre-booked, plus it will save you stress on the day.
Travel
Trains and buses will be running a shortened service, and taxi’s will be busy so make sure you have everything arranged beforehand. If you’re driving, leave in plenty of time – put on the Christmas playlist and do a carpool karaoke. Journey times will probably be a bit longer, but don’t let it get on top of you, everyone is travelling for the same reason so make the most of spending a bit more time with the family en route!
Traditions
If you’re spending Christmas abroad for the first time, bear in mind the local traditions and embrace them! If you’re heading to Italy, Christmas involves candlelight and delicious panettone; in France yule log and nativity puppets and Spain will see street parties and sweets! The southern hemisphere will see the summer month in December so expect a barbie on the beach down under, and don’t forget the sun cream!
Make sure you bring your traditions from home also, especially if travelling with children – bring a mini Christmas tree and decorate it and bring some home comforts so it doesn’t feel too out of the ordinary.
Christmas is a magical time so it’s only right that Santa and his elves are magical too – of course he’ll know you’re not spending Christmas at home, but don’t worry he’s already planned that into his route!
Most importantly, enjoy your time away and don’t forget to pack your Christmas jumper.
