Trend on travel

How to survive the holiday rush

Nick Trend

Next weekend marks the big departure – the first day of the school holidays and the busiest of the travelling year. It’s exciting, of course, but it is also highly stressful. Next Saturday I’ll be putting together a detailed travel toolkit aimed at alleviating those stresses. But some things can’t be done at the last minute, and advance planning can make a big difference to how smoothly things go.

If you are heading off yourself, no doubt you have everything under control and have been planning for weeks. But just in case you haven’t, here are half a dozen key points to check now – before it’s too late.

Passport For most European countries, your passport needs to be valid only for the duration of your stay. However, many other destinations require a longer period of validity – typically three or six months beyond your intended departure. Check gov. uk/foreign-travel-advice for entry requirements for the relevant country.

It normally takes three weeks to renew a passport, but faster (and more expensive) one-week and one-day services are available. If you’re in a hurry, see gov. uk/renew-adult-passport.

EHIC card While we are still members of the European Union (which we will be for at least the next two years), UK citizens are entitled to free or reduced-cost medical treatment in other member states. You need an EHIC card to prove that entitlement. It is free and it should be ordered at least seven days in advance of travel from the government website (ehic.org.uk). If you have to travel before your EHIC arrives and you then need medical treatment, there is a system which can help by issuing a Provisional Replacement Certificate to prove your entitlement to the EHIC scheme. The number to call is 0191 218 1999; full details are available on the website.

Insurance EHIC, which covers only medical treatment, is not a replacement for travel insurance, which will also cover problems such as cancellation costs, missed departure, emergency repatriation, theft and loss, and so on. It is wise to take out insurance as soon as you book, but if you haven’t, buy it now, and consider an annual multitrip policy that will cover you for all travel during the year (see my guide at telegraph.co.uk/travel/ advice/Guide-to-travelinsurance -how-to-choosethe-right-policy).

Check-in and seat selection Timing for advance online check-in varies widely – with Ryanair it’s a month, with BA it’s 24 hours. Find out and check in as early as you can, especially if you aren’t paying extra to choose your seats. There is always a risk that, on busy flights, you won’t be seated together if you are among the last to check in.

Airport parking Experience has taught me that the best deals on airport parking are usually available about a week before departure. By leaving it late – but not too late – you may find, for example, that you can book a place in the shortterm car park for not much more than the longterm price. The best place to start checking costs is the airport’s website. Not only will this give you benchmark prices but it may also get you the most competitive deal. If you want to shop around, try online agents such as holidayextras.co.uk and parkbcp.co.uk, in addition to price comparison websites including parking4less.com and travelsupermarket.com

Nick Trend is Telegraph Travel’s consumer expert