ABTA – The Travel Association has issued its top tips for families travelling abroad during the summer holidays, with this weekend marking the start of the summer break for the majority of schools in England and Wales.
According to ABTA’s latest research, three in four (75%) families are set to be travelling overseas this summer, with almost half planning to enjoy a beach break (47%), a third opting for an all-inclusive holiday (33%) and one in five jetting off on a city break (19%).
With many heading overseas for the first time in three years, ABTA has the following ‘super six’ tips to help their journeys go as smoothly as possible:
1. Make sure you’ve checked the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) travel advice for your destination before you travel (gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice).
2. Plan your journey to the airport, train station or ferry port in advance and allow extra time for traffic, planned road closures or engineering works.
3. Arrive at the earliest time advised by your airline or transport provider (arriving earlier than this may add to queues at the terminal).
4. Make sure you’re ready to present your passports and any COVID-related documents you need at check-in. You also have the option to check-in online which may save you time.
5. Prepare your hand luggage for security by placing large electrical items like laptops and tablets in the trays provided alongside any liquids you’re taking – these need to be 100ml or less and placed inside a 20cm x 20cm plastic bag.
6. Take off items of clothing like coats, jackets and belts when passing through security and put any items in your pockets into the trays provided.
More tips and advice on travel can be found at www.abta.com/getreadyfortravel.
Graeme Buck, Director of Communications at ABTA – The Travel Association said:
“The school summer holidays are usually the busiest time of year for travel, so planning ahead is the best way to make the start of your holiday as stress-free as possible. Holidaymakers can help keep queues to a minimum by arriving at the airport at the time advised by their airline, having their travel documents ready for check-in and carefully preparing their hand luggage for security.”
