This time
of year your thoughts may well be turning to your holiday. Maybe you’ve already
booked a break away, counting down the months, weeks or even days until you go,
or perhaps you’re still hunting for that great bargain deal.
Whatever
your plans for this year, it’s a good idea to make sure that you’re well
prepared.
Renew
that passport! Don’t
wait until the last minute to check the expiry date on your passport. It’s so
easy to forget how long it is since you last renewed it, so double check to be
sure. Whether renewing your passport or applying for your first one, I
recommend that you use the Post Office Check & Send service. For a fee of
£8.75, your form will be checked for omissions and errors, relevant accompanying
documents verified and your photo confirmed as passport standard. This prevents
your form from being returned to you due to errors, avoiding delays, and
includes special delivery of your passport, to further speed up the process. I
recently renewed my son’s passport using this service and received his new one
within just 10 days.
Ensure
you have a valid EHIC – European Health Insurance Card. This is enables you to receive
free/reduced cost medical treatment on the same basis as local residents in the
countries that it covers (those in the European union plus a few others). But
beware! When applying for/renewing your card, take care to avoid the dodgy
websites out there that charge a fee for application. When we entered EHIC into the search engine, the first site that came up tried to charge us £29! Remember, the EHIC cards
are FREE! Apply
for your card using the NHS Choices website, www.nhs.uk/ehic
where you just complete a simple form to receive your card – no fee involved.
Prepare
to pack. Now is the
time to start assembling some of the fiddly toiletry/cosmetic items that you
may want to take away. Save sample sachets of face creams etc that you find on
the pages of the odd magazine, to pack as opposed to big pots for a short break.
Travel sized versions of many toiletries are available to buy, but often cost almost
as much as their full-sized counterparts, so either refill any existing mini
bottles that your may have, or buy small, empty bottles designed for this
purpose from shops such as Superdrug (refillable jar 99p. bottles from £1.59).
Now is the time to get prepared!
Follow
me on Twitter @shoppersjoy
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