Going on holiday is fun, right? Sun, sea, sangria, and fun. Yet the preparation prior to this wonderful jolly to the sun can be nothing but stress.

Take packing, for instance. I am a girl who does nothing by halves, this includes packing. The one thing I have never been able to understand is how you’re supposed to know what you’re going to wear every day and night for two weeks. I mean, what about choices and a girl’s prerogative to change her mind?!

However, over the last ten years of girly holidays, city breaks, and general sunny getaways, I have learnt to compromise. Yes, that word that strikes fear into the heart of packers everywhere. No, you don’t need five pairs of heels, gladiators sandals will do; no, you don’t need ten bikinis, you will never wear them, in fact, you’ll find two that are comfortable and wear them for the duration, relying on the old rinse and hang out to dry method. Men, you are lucky creatures - a few pair of shorts, a pair of trousers and swimming shorts and you’re good to go. Oh, so lucky.

Thanks to this regular pre-holiday trauma, I’ve become a compulsive list writer. I actually recommend it, I’ve never forgotten my phone charger yet.

The other thing that is cause of stress, is the obligatory airport visit. Unfortunately the airport has to be part of the deal, sort of a means to an ends, but with the addition of cheap shopping and the customary Starbucks. Travelling to airports is also a stress-fest, many a time I’ve had to get up at 2am, having not gone to bed until almost midnight, thanks to the packing trauma. Then I’ve hardly slept, just nodded off, only to have to get up, try to make myself look half presentable, jump in the airport taxi and head to the terminal. I then spend the rest of the day feeling rubbish because I’m a) sleep deprived, and b) looking rubbish. I found a wonderful solution to this problem - airport hotels. The godsend of beauty-conscious travellers everywhere, oh and those that like to sleep.

I recently travelled from Edinburgh for a week-long jaunt in the sun. We didn’t end up staying at one of Edinburgh’s airport hotels as we had initially planned, but we did make life easier by splashing out a bit on our airport parking. We decided to cut out the airport taxi run and book meet and greet Edinburgh airport parking instead. We drove to the airport in the comfort of our own motor and very mich enjoyed handing over the keys to a chauffeur who parked the car for us! It gave us loads of time to relax before we boarded the plane. The result was a much smoother, stress-free day that ended with many a duty free item bought, and a much happier me.

I have a friend who swears by driving to the airport and leaving her car there, giving them peace of mind that when they land back in the UK, they can throw, hopefully not literally, their cases into the boot and drive off in comfort. A convenient shuttle ferries them to and from the terminal and the kids are slightly less hyper. Perfect. All UK airports offer parking facilities, and Gatwick airport parking is especially cheap and convenient, with a huge range of budget flights on offer to boot. Pre-book and save even more money.

So you’ve made it to the airport, your stress levels aren’t through the roof, you’ve managed to pack and even left some clothes behind, your luggage allowance is intact, and duty free is hit with gusto. What’s left to do?

Sit back, relax, jet off into the sky .... sun, sea, and sangria indeed.

Photo used courtesy of flickr Creative Commons: 

flickr.com/photos/54844390@N05/5095080945/