It’s no secret that travelling can be stressful at times, and I’ve often found that it’s the planning part of travelling that causes me to loose the most sleep. Organizing a holiday isn’t easy (whether it’s a weekend getaway or a gap year) and planning a trip can pile on the stress even if you’re the calmest of heads.
- Travel BookingStuck in Customs / Travel Photos / CC BY-NC-SA
But there is a way to get rid of all this hassle, and even enjoy the booking process of travel – and here’s how:
- Download the right apps
There are some incredible travel apps out there at the moment which can do all the hard work for you. Hipmunk is extremely useful if you’re booking a holiday for multiple people and groups of friends as you can seamlessly book big trips and bookings without worrying about losing documents and information. There’s also some really great apps out there that can store copies of your booking references on your smart phone, meaning you don’t need to keep fumbling around with bits of paper and stuff at the airport or hotel reception.
- Split the job
If there are a few of you travelling, then why not split the job of booking between you all? One of you can be in charge of plane flights, the other can be in charge of accommodation and the other in charge of transfers and entertainment. You’ll find that when you’re not in charge of everything – suddenly the hassle and stress just melts away and you can enjoying researching the smaller areas you do have charge of.
- Book the old fashioned way
Many of us forget now that estate agents still exist and that they do their jobs really well! It can be tempting to book everything online from the comfort of your front room or office desk – but this might not be the easiest way to book, and it might not be the most hassle-free way either. Heading into an estate agents is on of the easiest ways to get your holiday booked – and because they’re professionals, they should be able to have you sorted and stress free within a few hours of discussing just what you want and where you want to go.
- Book a packet-deal
If you really must insist of booking your holiday yourself and online – then to save you hassle, go with a provider and booking agents that lets you tailor your entire package and lets you book everything together as a package deal. Booking every together means that your insurance will be cheaper but it also means that if anything goes wrong whilst you’re away, that you can simply contact one company instead of multiple ones.
- Have your budget clear
Budget and finances are often on of the main factors of extra hassle and stress – because if you can’t stick to your budget, you’re going to struggle with booking other things too. To avoid this hassle, make sure you have your budget clear and concise in your mind before you start booking.
This is a post by Wildgoose, founders of the original GPS treasure hunt and Treasure Hunt Scotland.
