Passions

Ten top tips for getting away this year

Some handy advice for the smoothest of travels

Travel is back, and we couldn’t be more excited to make the most of the opportunity to get out there and explore this year. The world really is our oyster again. We’ve waited a long time to say that.

As we head out across the globe again, we’ve been thinking about the little things that can make getting somewhere even easier; more straightforward. Especially those hints, tips and don’t forgets lost in our memories after a temporary travel hiatus – as well as new requirements and things to remember when travelling in a post-pandemic world. And we’ve also been thinking about the big things that help us discover destinations in the most wonderful ways. Together, these things –big and small– make all the difference. They can ensure that the trips we embark on this year–perhaps the first we have taken in a while–are more uplifting, exciting, and invigorating than ever.

Tied together in a single helpful place, these are our ten top tips and reminders to help you experience the smoothest seas and most beautiful travels in the year ahead. It’s a balanced mixture of the inspiring and the very, very useful.

1. Peculiar pairings

Now that we’re firmly back on the road, we’ve got some catching up to do. During a period of idleness, the list of places capturing and demanding our attention has only grown. Ever-expanding bucket lists are waiting to be ticked off. The best way to tackle this, you ask? A ‘twin destination’ trip. This is an especially excellent way of making the most of being in whatever part of the world you’ve travelled to, having already made the trip – perhaps on a long-haul flight – to your first destination. Hawaii and Alaska combine to make one of our favourite pairings. Sri Lanka and the Maldives. Iceland and Ireland. There are so many countries that connect more easily than you may think. Consider us matchmakers.

2. It’s about time

Spare a thought for our passports, sat redundant and gathering dust during the days of Covid. If your passport needs renewing, then sooner is better than “too late”. With post-pandemic backlogs, getting a new passport could take longer than the usual wait time. It’s easy to simply pack our bags with just a quick glance at our passport expiry date – but depending on where you’re heading, you could need up to six months validity left on your passport when you travel. So double check early and renew plenty of time in advance. You wouldn’t want to miss out on this extraordinary odyssey to Jordan (with craft beer breweries, Roman ruins, and the ancient Red Sea).

3. Put food first

Delicious meals can give you the energy to travel, but they can also be your reason to explore. Discovering the cuisines, delicacies and flavour palates of faraway places is one of the most exciting things about travel. It’s a desire that has driven people to all corners of the world. So, for a different kind of trip, why not place food at the centre? Our tasting notes itineraries do exactly that. Like this gourmet expedition through the tastes and flavours of Peru, all revolving around an ancient Andean earth blessing ceremony. It’s led by a shaman.

4. Attention to details

It’s no secret that Covid has meant we need to bring some extra documents with us when travelling, on top of the usual boarding passes and passports. Streamline your airport experience by creating a folder in your phone for all your PDF files – from vaccine passports to passenger locator forms. Got kids? Create folders for their documents too. All in one place, ready to show. We’d also suggest bringing paper copies along too, just in case. Finesse those forms. Prepare those papers. And depart without a worry.

5. Be late to the party

Fashionably late, and in the best possible way. By late summer, the bustling crowds that gather in Europe’s peak season have all but vanished. The weather, however, remains positively balmy, and the sun still shines for those who make the trip. This continent of culture is just as much of a treat come September as it is in June. On this breathtaking Italian trip, for example, the hillsides of Tuscany will be yours to explore, as will the gorgeous length of Amalfi’s path of the gods.

Feeling inspired?

The world is at your fingertips this year, whether it’s Egypt or Kenya, Australia or Peru. Click below to check out our travel calendar and find out where to go when – and do get in touch when you’re ready to start planning.

Where can I go?

6. Make sure everyone is entertained

Who says education ends in the classroom – or even when you’ve finished school? That’s why we created Field Trip, a colossal curriculum of classes located around the globe. From visiting an archaeological site in Egypt to a private induction to the secrets of CERN – these classes are designed for families of all ages to learn from the world, in the world.

7. Off the map

Remote destinations – jungles, deserts and mountains – are an unbelievably sublime way to cast adrift from your emails and inbox. To escape the everyday. Often, you can’t even get signal if you try. If you’re feeling truly adventurous, our Get Lost service will take you to unknown, uncharted destinations and charge you with exploring your way through them. There’s nothing quite like a solo expedition through a remote landscape to help you find your inner steel.

8. Dream big, plan big

As Eleanor Roosevelt once said, ‘it takes as much energy to wish as it does to plan’. Set your big future travel plans in motion now, to ensure they really do happen later. Some popular destinations – like Japan in its oh-so-fleeting cherry blossom season – get booked up far in advance. So, get ahead of the travel game. Lock it in for one, two, or even three years’ time. Give yourself something magical to look forward to. Then put your feet up, safe in the knowledge it’s you who’ll be walking amongst those famed pale pink petals and enjoying elegant tea ceremonies in Kyoto.

9. A safety blanket

Before you depart, don’t forget to check that your existing travel insurance features Covid cover. It’s worth having, just in case. Good quality cover will usually provide a safety blanket, should you be unlucky enough to catch Covid before you depart or while you’re away. Got questions? Take a look at our Covid FAQ’s here.

10. Going, gone, gorilla

Boasting the chance to spot rare and endangered wildlife, as well as explore Kigali’s colourful past, present and future, this Rwandan gorilla trek tends to sell out frightfully quickly (as can other of our more unusual escapes). We want to help you to discover the world and embark on the trips you’ve been dreaming of, but experiences like this need to be booked early to avoid disappointment.