We’re in the depths of winter, as evidenced by the bucketloads of snow that have fallen in the UK over the past month. Winter’s not over, though, and given all the difficulty our airports have been having with getting flights off the ground on a consistent basis, it’s important to prepare for wintry travel and the unavoidable fact that nature does indeed like to interfere with our holidays. While most people will get on their flights just fine, it’s worth preparing for that slight eventuality. Here are a few things you might want to do.
1. Book with an ATOL protected travel agent. Basically, if your flight is cancelled and you are stuck somewhere due to the wintry weather, you’re less likely to get your money back if your flight is cancelled. You may end up stranded, paying extortionate fees for last minute hotel rooms, or rearranging your own travel back home. It can take a very long time to get your money back and sometimes even travel insurance doesn’t cover everything. Ensuring your tour operator is properly ATOL protected can relieve you of headaches due to the wintry weather.
2. Keep a close watch on conditions on the days leading up to your flight. Then you won’t set out for the airport only to discover that it’s snowing and you’ll be stuck waiting without a flight for hours. If necessary when you think conditions are bad, call your airline and/or tour operator before departing to be sure your flight is scheduled to leave.
3. Pack a little more wisely. Instead of stowing everything in your checked baggage, keep a change of clothes in your carry-on. That way, no matter what happens, you have a spare set of clothes. For example, your baggage may be lost in transit, and you could go a day without anything clean to wear – a very unpleasant experience no matter how luxurious your holiday. If you’ve already checked your luggage and your flight still gets delayed, you may also need those spare clothes.
4. Wear layers! If you’re heading somewhere warm for a holiday, you are not going to want to be wearing your heavy coat while waiting for your taxi, even if the destination airport has air conditioning. You’ll want to wear something that will keep you warm in the frosty UK but which you can easily take off when you arrive in the tropical destination of your choice. For the ladies, cardigans can easily go over short sleeves and sleeveless tops; men can wear a short sleeved shirt under a sweater. That will make it easiest for you to adjust to a comfortable temperature level on your way.
5. Book a taxi to the airport. Driving your car presents so many challenges, and when the weather is bad they only mount up. You’ll have to worry about where to park and how much it’s going to cost; your car might be outside, in which case you’ll probably arrive back to a snow-covered, frozen car that you’ll have to clean off before you go anywhere. The last thing you want to do after a relaxing holiday is shift snow around while shivering in the cold! Having a taxi eliminates all of these problems and adds that extra touch of convenience as well.
Travelling in the winter is a great way to escape the cold and get some great deals on luxury holidays. It may require a bit of extra preparation, but we can almost guarantee it will be worth it.
