by Protect your plans
As soon as you have booked your holiday you should consider travel insurance. An annual plan starts as soon as you want and is usually good value if you’re planning more than one trip. We did a quick estimate on Comparethemarket for a break in France compared to an annual policy covering multiple trips to the EU – prices started at £5.55 for an individual in their 40s spending one week away and £12.15 for a year. (These are very basic policies – if you want more sums covered or less exclusions on what you can claim, you’ll have to pay more.) Most annual trips will have a limit on the length of each stay. In some cases this is 24 days, so make sure that is enough for your purposes.
Travel insurance should pay out if you need emergency medical treatment or need to fly home. It can cover you if you need to cut your break short because you are ill, or if you have to cancel your plans because the government suddenly warns you not to travel to your destination. You must confirm any pre-existing medical conditions you have, and read the terms and conditions when comparing policies. Make sure you know what you can and cannot claim before you buy. HO
Take care of your pets
You can get someone to stay in your home and look after your pets while you are away. Both paid and free services are offered here. The average price for a dog sitter in London listed on the Gudog website is £32 per night, for example. On Happymeow you can find someone to look after your cats, visiting once a day for £20 or twice a day for £39.
Some people will look after your animals for free in exchange for accommodation. There are companies to connect the two parties such as TrustedHousesitters.
If you want people to stay at your home or visit your home while you’re away to look after your animal, it’s a good idea to have home and pet insurance. Most professional housekeepers should have public liability insurance.
Mark Shepherd, head of general insurance policy at the Association of British Insurers, says: “Having a reliable house sitter or having a friend or family member stay at your home while you’re away will not usually invalidate home insurance. policy. We recommend checking your cover for any relevant exclusions. For example, some policies may not cover you for theft or malicious damage caused by someone you invited into your home.” SM
Sort out hiking
Whether you can use your mobile phone in Europe as if you were at home this summer depends on your UK provider.
Virgin Media/O2, Tesco Mobile and some smaller providers such as GiffGaff have resisted imposing post-Brexit roaming charges on Britons traveling to Europe – but so do EE, Vodafone and Three. And their prices have gone up to do just that this summer.
Fortunately, customers of these companies can usually reduce the fees by signing up for a package.
If you joined EE from 7 July 2021, you’ll need to pay £2.47 a day to use your data, minutes and texts in any of the 47 countries in EE’s EU roaming area. An EE month roaming pass is £25 a month – even if you’re traveling for more than 10 days.
Vodafone Pay Customers traveling to any of its 49 EU locations will pay £2.42 a day for a European roaming pass, £12 for eight days or £17 for 15 days if you sign up to a package. However, customers on Xtra plans may have EU roaming included, so be sure to check.
Three’s Go Roam service will charge you £2 a day for EU roaming, although £5 three-day passes and £12 seven-day passes are also available. A Three Go Roam Around the World seven-day pass costs £30.
The prices above are for those on pay-monthly contracts. Pay as you go customers will need to check each firm’s costs. The same applies to anyone going further afield than Europe – check what your provider charges and whether there is an agreement you can sign before you go to the airport. Be aware: Turkey and Morocco are two countries that attract many travelers. MB
Adapters package
Traveling in the 21st century means carrying multiple electronic gadgets that all need to be charged. Adapters for your existing UK plugs to make them compatible with EU, US or global sockets cost around £5. If you need lots of plugs, consider getting a four or six gang extension instead and plug it into the adapter to provide multiple UK sockets in one.
Alternatively you can buy USB chargers with detachable cables, such as the £30 four-port Anker 543. You can exchange a UK figure 8 (C7) for your country of choice – the EU-adapted one from Maplin is £5 – or you. You should be able to pick one up from a hardware or electrical store when you get there. SG
Weigh your luggage
If you’re flying, try to work out how much luggage you want to take before you book, as adding it to your booking later – or at the airport – could cost more. Measure your case and weigh it fully packed (use your bathroom scales or buy a cheap set of luggage scales) so you know if it fits within the airline’s cabin baggage restrictions, or if you’ll have to pay from the most expensive checked-in baggage. option. Remember that you may want to take souvenirs home with you, so if you’re up to the weight limit on the way there, you could be in trouble on the way home.
Airlines have different baggage rules and they can make a big difference to the total cost of travel. On British Airways flights you can take a small bag up to 40 x 30 x 15cm and a second cabin bag up to 56 x 45 x 25cm (including wheels and handles); they can both weigh up to 23kg. Economy Basic customers have to pay for checking in any case. EasyJet allows one free bag, measuring up to 45cm x 36cm x 20cm and weighing up to 15kg. Ryanair allows one free bag, which must measure 40cm x 20cm x 25cm or less. Other airlines have their own size and weight allowances. Families get a few extras: airlines usually let you check in some equipment, such as a pushchair, for free.
If you’re buying a new bag, check the sizing rules before you go shopping and look for the lightest case you can find. HO
