A lot of planning goes into having the perfect vacation, and your time away from home will be a getaway from the hassles of everyday life. You want to be relaxed and avoid stressful situations while you’re travelling, too, not just at the destination. Here are a few things to keep in mind about your trip.

Choose alternatives to overpacking.

This is one of the most common travel mistakes, and it’s completely understandable. You’ll be away from your closets and drawers, and there’s a fear that you’ll need something and not have access to it. One helpful tip is to go with lightweight, easy to pack clothing that doesn’t take up much room. And it’s better to plan on going to a laundromat or sending out laundry than to have to lug around overly heavy luggage with lots of extra clothing.

Keep your important items safe but accessible.

You’ll want to be able to access the important things quickly and easily: money, hotel confirmations, itinerary, I.D. and important phone numbers. If you use a purse, add a zip-bag so that you can keep all of these things together for quick availability. Another option is to use a body wallet, and that adds an extra layer of security for your money and vital information.

Make sure you have at least two hours between flights.

It might be tempting to have less than an hour between connections, but err on the side of caution with this! You never know what will happen between flights. Your first flight could be delayed, you might end up on the opposite side of a large airport from the next gate, or you might have a personal emergency to take care of. Having to rush from one gate to another is also stressful, and you don’t want to be harried on your vacation.

Don’t pack too many activities into your itinerary.

There are so many cool things to see and do on vacation that you might be tempted to try and do too much. One of the best tips for a relaxing and rewarding vacation is to build in some downtime. If you’re going away for a week or more, give yourself one day with no activities or sightseeing planned. You’ll thank yourself for it!

Alert your credit card company that you’re on vacation.

It turns out that, for your own protection, your credit card company might freeze your card if there are a number of unusual expenditures. The easy way to avoid this is to call the phone number on the back of your card and give them a head’s up. They’ll want to know which days you’ll be using the card for vacation purposes, so add a day before and after just in case. You can also find credit cards that give you rewards for spending, not a bad idea since you’ll be shelling out some serious money for a vacation.

Exchange currency ahead of time.

Even if you’re waiting to get to your destination for a better rate, exchange enough money to get you through the first day or two of travel. The last thing you want to do is exchange it through airport kiosks because the rates will be less favourable, and the fees will be steeper.

Make a point of backing up photos and important documents.

Don’t wait until you get home to unload all the wonderful shots you took on vacation. What if you lose your camera while travelling? Upload those special memories to your laptop and, even better, to cloud storage as well. If you’re travelling overseas, be sure and make copies of your driver’s license, passport and other important documents and carry them separately from the originals.

These are our top tips for planning a smooth vacation, including getting there and returning home. All of them are pretty straightforward, and they can make a big difference in your travel enjoyment. But if you’re not interested in travelling far, check out our great ideas for an Alberta staycation. Bon voyage!

Photo credits: couple, passport, money

Author: Jeff S.

Proud father and husband. Loves music, Nine Inch Nails, UFC and inbound marketing.