Going on holiday in this day and age is fraught with extra expenses and minor irritations. How many times have you returned from a holiday, unpacked and realised you had absolutely no need for a bunch of stuff you sweated buckets over squeezing into your bag?
Travelling light isn’t just about your luggage though; it’s a state of mind to ensure you get the most out of your break.
Here, we take a look at the top five things you simply don’t need with you when you get away from the stresses of everyday life.
1/ Marmite/tea bags/British food
Karl Pilkington in An Idiot Abroad took Pickled Onion Monster Munch with him and hundreds of Brits stuff British food like Marmite into their bags because they think they won’t like the food where they’re going. Our advice is to take a chance and try some of the local fare and embrace the culture. We don’t mean a Sheep’s head or something like that, but surely there’s no need for beans on toast!
2/ Your laptop
Don’t take your work on holiday with you if it can in any way be helped. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that a good break from work can make you more productive when you get home. Even having the laptop with you can be a reminder of the office and take your mind off relaxing, so just leave it and its extra weight at home!
3/ Too many clothes
Too many clothes means too much choice and invariably a number of items never sees the light of day. Keep your holiday wardrobe simple; it saves on luggage weight and takes away the stress of having too many combinations to choose from. And what does that do? It wastes valuable time having fun and relaxing.
4/ The In-laws
They may put pressure on you and you may think this is a great source of free child minding, but our straw poll confirms the extra emotional luggage can cause more stress than anything else. Go it alone, spend time together and enjoy the holiday with no family issues!
5/ Traveller’s Cheques
These are now a thing of the past and can only cause you issues and stress. Our advice is to take out a new credit card that offers free international transactions and rewards you for spending money. When you come home pay off the credit card straight away, leaving you nothing more than the air miles you have earned. If you are really savvy then you could even book the holiday with the new card which will boost the rewards and also possibly even offer free insurance should anything go wrong.
So, there you have it; five things you just don’t need to take with you for your 2012 summer holiday. Try them out – we think they will make a difference to you and your experience and save you some money in the process.
This is a guest post from Ed Fleming who writes for the money saving, discount and voucher code website Savoo.co.uk.