**Note**: a lot of these are personal to me. Pick and choose them as you see fit. ## Before - Don’t go too late in the year. By that time I’m in autumn mode. - Get healthy before the holiday. I know, you’ll get healthy whilst there. But if you aren’t healthy before hand it takes a week or so for my body to ‘come round’ and feel ‘alive’. Which affects things. Low energy, poor boozing appetite, etc. ## Airport - Take you jumper off the *moment* you get hot. Otherwise before you know it you're baking and you can't cool down. It seems like the deeper into the airport you go the hotter it gets. - RyanAir Express Bag Drop might be worth it. I haven't tried it yet and I'm not sure how much it costs, but it does help you skip the big queue at bag dropoff. - It's worth having an [[American Express]] card just for the [Priority Pass](https://www.americanexpress.com/icc/cards/benefits/travel/priority-pass.html) which lets you and a guest get into nice airport lounges. ## Flight - Just pay for the extra leg room on the plane. - The front is nice for getting on/off the plane, but you're often right by the toilet and the stewards. - The middle is a bit louder and you're one of the last off usually. - Eat light. You don't want to be hungry of course. But you also don't want your gut to be dealing with a 1/4 pound of beef. - Buy two water bottles for the flight. Yes, they're expensive. But I always get a dry throat. And a toilet break is a good excuse to get up and walk around. - Take a codeine before the flight. You don't need a prescription and it will just remove some of the discomfort of being sat down for goodness knows how long. ## Hotel - A centrally located hotel is worth the extra cost. ^573ef1 - A pool is important. Even on a city break. Unless it’s going to be cold, get a place with a pool. I will visit once or twice and it’s nice in the morning. ## Entertainment - Load up more reading and movies that you think you'll need. You don’t want to run out. - Bring a book. Even on a city break. They’ll be some time to read it here and there. Often between lunch and dinner. - Don’t bring too demanding non-fiction book. Bring something fairly light. I like to highlight things and makes note, which is difficult on a beach when I don’t want to use my phone. And the chances of me scanning all the highlights and making notes from them when I get back from holiday are very slim. - Bring ‘travel’ content or consume it before. [[Anthony Bourdain]], [[James Bond]], Air Mail, [[Monocle Magazine]]. All these things put me in the mood. I love it. For my [[Seville, Spain|Seville]] trip I didn’t think I needed the Monocle. But I would have preferred to have had it. - Check what events are happening before you travel. Firstly because you might accidentally book a very busy time. But secondly there might be a great one-off event happening. When I went to [[Seville, Spain|Seville]] I didn't realise until I got there that [[AC-DC]] were playing. It would have been nice to have gone. ## Food - Pre-book a bunch of restaurants. It's horrible trudging around a place trying to find a place you like the look of. Research some good ones and book them. You can always cancel them later. - Being constipated or having diarrhoea is horrible whilst traveling. I recommend having a [Fibre One bar](https://www.fibreone.co.uk/our-products/) every day to help with this. Also some [Loperamide](https://www.nhs.uk/medicines/loperamide/about-loperamide/) (Imodium) and [Dioralyte sachets](https://dioralyte.co.uk/dioralyte-family/) for if you get bad diarrhoea. The Dioralyte can also help if you get a hangover or need to quickly hydrate after not drinking enough water one day. ## Money - Don’t skimp. Better to be more frugal at home so you can go a bit more wild whilst on holiday. - Don’t bring much cash unless it’s a big cash country like Japan. In [[Seville]] people seemed borderline annoyed that I was using cash. Everywhere accepts card. And it’s so much easier. ## Other - Unless you’re going to a place with nothing but sun, you should bring a waterproof. It’s crippling being in a place with no rain protection. - Bring something warm like a jumper. Not only for when you land back in the UK, but also because you never know if they’ll be a cold snap on holiday. Or some countries crank up the air conditioning. - Fly and travel with a [chronograph](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chronograph). I like timing things. - A bottle of [[aftershave]] can be heavy and I'm always scared it will leak into my suitcase. But just bring one. But spraying some aftershave on yourself once you're all dressed up and ready to go for dinner feels *good*. - Good sun cream [according to Which magazine](https://www.threads.net/@whichuk/post/C-2gEO4oJth/?xmt=AQGzaeF58edSVtDQcX20dUUcDs5hkB1AY7-9xLBz3WuElw): - Aldi Lacura SPF30 Sun Lotion, £2.49/200ml - Lidl Cien Sun Spray SPF30, £3.29/200ml - Lidl Cien Kids Sensitive Sunscreen Spray SPF50+ , £3.29/200ml ## Film and TV - Stuff I like to watch before holiday or on the plane: - Pirates of the Caribbean - Master and Commander - The Rum Diary - After the Sunset - Ocean’s 11/12/13 ## Reading - Things that are great to read on holiday: - Literary Review magazine. - Monocle magazine. - “The Rum Diary” by [[Hunter S. Thompson]]. - James Bond book series by Ian Fleming. - [["Hellraisers" by Robert Sellers]] - **To read** - [Don't Let the Bastards Grind You Down: How One Generation of British Actors Changed the World by Robert Sellers](https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dont-Let-Bastards-Grind-Down/dp/0099569329/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0) - [Hollywood Hellraisers: The Wild Lives and Fast Times of Marlon Brando, Dennis Hopper, Warren Beatty and Jack Nicholson by Robert Sellers](https://www.amazon.co.uk/Hollywood-Hellraisers-Marlon-Brando-Nicholson-ebook/dp/B00352B45K) - [An A-Z of Hellraisers: A Comprehensive Compendium of Outrageous Insobriety by Robert Sellers](https://www.amazon.co.uk/Hellraisers-Comprehensive-Compendium-Outrageous-Insobriety/dp/1848092466/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0) - [Peter O'Toole: The Definitive Biography by Robert Sellers](https://www.amazon.co.uk/Peter-OToole-Definitive-Robert-Sellers-ebook/dp/B00UXKJ0R6) - [What Fresh Lunacy is This?: The Authorized Biography of Oliver Reed by Robert Sellers](https://www.amazon.co.uk/What-Fresh-Lunacy-This-Authorized/dp/1472112636/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0) - "Reed All About Me" by [[Oliver Reed]] *Created: [[2024-06-02]]* #Travel #Advice