
One of the greatest joys of the summer is knowing that you're booked on to enjoy some time in a foreign land and, more particularly, on foreign shores. Beach holidays are the ideal way to relax in the summer sun after a long winter and a difficult spring and, with friends, family or your partner in tow, it's a place to have fun, recharge, and look to the future. This article gives you all the information you'll need to make the most of your beach holiday, ensuring that you've organized everything perfectly before you arrive.
Destination
Most countries have beaches – well, in fact, pretty much all countries with a coastline have beaches. There are also countries that own dozens of islands spattered in warm turquoise seas. All of this means that there are hundreds of thousands of beaches for you to choose to holiday on – quite the figure to narrow down to just one. In order to find the ideal beach for you and your travel expectations, ask yourself the following questions:
- Can I afford to go to this beach?
- Is the country itself – its culture and cuisine – appealing to me?
- Will I be able to find complete solitude and peace on this beach?
- Will the weather here be reliably sunny or changeable?
- Is the beach going to be family-friendly or more of a party-beach?
As you work through these and answer the questions, you'll narrow down the beaches you've been looking through to the best one or two. At that point, it's time to start booking your way onto the beach.
Flights
Flights should always be booked as early in advance as possible in order to save you and your fellow travelers a significant amount of cash that you'd rather spend in restaurants while you're away. Make sure you're taking into account different flight price comparison websites in order to find the very best deal, and remember that direct flights are more expensive than flights that make a stop-over on the way.
Accommodation
As soon as you're confirmed to fly to your chosen beach, it's time to start planning where you're going to stay. There are heaps of options for you to consider – all with varying price tags and experiences attached. Here are some of your options:
- An all-inclusive beach resort
- Detached holiday cabins or beach huts
- A private beachside villa
- Camping or ‘glamping' options
- A hostel, motel or guesthouse near the beach
The list goes on, and varies depending on where exactly you're headed. One thing's for sure when you're deciding where you're going to base yourself, though: a private villa is always the number one choice for isolation, privacy and relaxation. Mallorca Holidays offer many of these villas at reasonable prices – for families, groups of friends, or couples.
What to Pack
Beach holidays don't require that you take everything including the kitchen sink away with you, but it is nonetheless a holiday where you'll be away from many of your possessions, so it's important to make a checklist before you fly to ensure that you're on top of all the requirements you might have while you're sunning yourself on the beach. Top beach items include:
- Beach towel or shawl
- sunglasses and sun hat
- Sun screen or tanning lotion
- Waterproof or sand proof bag for electrical items
- Books, games or a speaker to keep you entertained
- Insect repellent for tropical beaches
The above list should also include all the light and breezy clothes that you'll need to really enjoy the beating summer sun during your beach holiday in 2019 – and multiple sets of swimming clothing too, of course.
Documentation
Every trip abroad requires you to be a little organized in terms of your documentation. If you've booked a villa, a hire car and a taxi to and from the airport, make sure you carry with you print-outs of these bookings with reference numbers. If you're traveling with anyone with heath issues, be sure to bring with them doctors' notes about treatments. And of course you should bring your passports (valid within 6 months) and a print-out of you travel insurance details.
Stress-Free Travel
Beach-going is all about busting the accumulated stress that's been dogging you over colder and darker months. As such, you should make sure you follow all of the tips outlined above – helping you avoid any stress that could come to infect or pollute your otherwise dreamy and exciting beach holiday. Make sure, especially, to book everything ahead of time to avoid rushes to find a room – and ensure you pack all that you'll need – including the correct documentation for your trip.