If you’re jetting off on vacation this year (when we are allowed!) after twelve months or more of being locked indoors, then it can be easy to get carried away with all the holiday hysteria and forget a few important details before your foreign holiday. After a year of lockdowns and social distancing restrictions, you might be forgiven for forgetting a few holiday essentials, but this article will help to keep you on track. Here are three important things that you simply must not forget to do before your holiday in Europe this year.

Get A COVID-19 Test Before You Fly

Whether you are regulation-bound by the time you jet off or not, it is the responsible course of action to get a COVID-19 test before leaving the country this summer. A Fit to Fly Test will put your mind at ease when travelling and ensure the safety of those around you this summer. No matter if you’re jetting off to one of the many luscious beaches in Portugal or heading on a romantic couples holiday in Italy, the third wave of COVID-19 is very much prevalent across vast stretches of mainland Europe, so you need to be very cautious. Private COVID-19 tests are Government approved, easy to book, and you can even get the results by the end of the very next day, so they’re very fast and efficient. It just seems like the right thing to do, so be sure to.

Check Your Passport Is In Date

Given that you’ve probably not been away in a while you might be forgiven for forgetting to check that your passport hasn’t expired. Mine actually has! Nevertheless, avoid the disappointment of being turned away at the airport by ensuring your passport has at least six months to run before its expiry date. With Brexit and EU law adding additional complications, this point has never been more important than this year. Plus, it’s a good idea to dig your passport out now and put it somewhere where you won’t forget it. We’ve all heard stories about people forgetting to take their passport to the airport only to end up missing their flight – don’t let that person be you!

Leave Extra Time

Talking of Brexit, passing though EU customs won’t be the walk in the park it once was now that we are no longer part of the EU. Expect longer queues and more checks as you pass through passport control and customs. Make sure you factor in some extra time for this so that you don’t miss any onward connections.Pack Your Suncream

Not only has COVID-19 meant we’ve spent much of the last year indoors but we’ve also not had brilliant weather over the last twelve months. Even although you should wear SPF every day all year round, many still do not and this year indoors hasn’t helped them to remember. If you’re been dreaming of the highs we experienced in Summer 2018, one thing you mustn’t forget to pack before your trip is your suncream. Your skin isn’t going to be used to the sun’s sharp rays often found in foreign countries, so do yourself a favour and buy some before you go abroad so that you don’t have to pay the extortionate prices for suncream over there. Remember, sun exposure can be linked to skin cancer, so it pays to make sure you’re protected in the sun this summer and that you have full spectrum UVA and UVB protection.

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