The count down is on!
With only T-Minus two months to go until our Gran Canaria trip the count down begins now. Prepping has well and truly begun. From printing essential documents to organising airport hotels & parking as well as fast track security & airport lounges.
It’s also important to make sure any arrangements or bookings you have for pets are still good to go. There’s a few options for this. Friends or family or booking them their own holiday by going into boarding whilst you’re away both are good choices.
Many of you may say that two months out is too soon for all this but it makes for a less stressful time closer to departure day. We all know how fast time flies and time has flown by quite literally for us from booking our trip to Gran Canaria back in July 2024 to now!
From printing those must-have documents to grabbing your trusty sun cream and picking out killer outfits, we’ve got it all covered—no stress, just sunshine!
Top Tip: Make sure your sun cream isn’t out of date. Most sun creams last for about two years. If you’ve had it for more than two summers, or if it’s leaking or smells ‘off’, replace it.
The Essentials
What counts as essential travel documents—and why carry physical copies?
Carry your flight booking confirmations (yes, both for the exciting outbound and the dreaded return), hotel reservations, and travel insurance details. Know what your coverage includes, the amounts covered, and who to contact if something goes wrong. And here’s the big one: your boarding pass! Sure, we live in a digital age where apps handle everything. But what happens if you can’t access your phone? Apps crash, phones break, get lost, or stolen — which leads to stress and frustration. Printing your boarding pass ahead of time, along with your other essential documents, makes travel smoother. Just remember to print one for everyone traveling with you.
Top Tip: If you’re traveling as a couple, decide who will print the essential documents. Traveling with a larger group from multiple households? Make sure each household picks someone to handle it.
Top Tip: Get yourself a plastic wallet folder, you can pick a pack of five up from B&M for £1.50 (other retailers are available), and put all your print outs in to take with you in your hand luggage.
Luggage
When it comes to luggage and what you plan on wearing when on holiday always double check your allowances with your airline. As we all know they all differ. Some airlines even have a max size when it comes to checked baggage. So it’s always a good idea to check this before you start packing. Yes you can add more luggage on but be realistic when it comes to your packing.
Lay everything out on the bed in separate piles. T-shirts, Shorts, Underwear, Swim Wear, Hats, You get the picture. Look at each item and ask yourself will you wear when you’re away? If it’s a yes, in it goes. Just a maybe put it to one side and look at it again at the end of this process. If it’s a no put it back in the wardrobe and don’t second guess yourself, there’s a reason you said no whether you know what that is or not.
As a rule when we pack we always make sure we have enough underwear for each day. Two week trip = 14 pairs of underwear and socks. We then add an extra couple of pairs in as a just incase as delays and mishaps do happen! You can apply the same rule to everything else in your suitcase as well with the exception of swimwear.
Normally we take a maximum of seven swim wear items. This allows for enough verity to mix and match and ensures you have dry swimwear, even with frequent swimming or if drying conditions are less than ideal. If you’re worried about drying conditions then it’s always best to err on the side of caution and take a few extra.
When it comes to foot wear we have a simple rule. A choice of two from each style. That means two pairs of flip flops/sliders, although this rule can be bent slightly and broken down into day/night/pool wear. Two pairs of trainers will be more than enough for a two week trip.
If you’re planning on having a meal outwith your resort and want to make it special don’t forget something a little more dressy. We normally only ever pack one pair of footwear like this. It’s always good to check if there are any particular dress codes when it comes to your specific hotel. Some may have a no open toe footwear policy. Some may have a no trainer policy depending on the hotel. We have generally found that most hotels have a no flip flop policy when it comes to evening meals but every hotel is different so just check with yours to make sure you don’t go breaking the rules!
The Other Essentials!
After you’ve got all that in the suitcase it’s time to add the rest. From suncream to shampoo to toothpaste. We have both done our own thing in past trips where one of us takes these items and the other buys them after arriving at the hotel. This trip will be a mix of both. If your like me and don’t believe in giving up luggage allowance for these items then I hear you! I do it one of two ways.
I will either visit the local supermarket after arriving at the hotel or order from Boots online to click and collect in the airport. This can then be put into your hand luggage and you make sure you get exactly what you want.
If you’re not bothered about the brand or using a specific product then visiting the local super market after arriving is an even easier choice. The exception to this is suncream. It’s important to know what works for you when it comes to this essential item. Everyone is different and has their own preferences which is absolutely normal. It is however important to make sure your suncream is protecting you. As a rule of thumb I normally don’t use anything below SPF 30. I burn easily and I know first hand how this can put a damper on a well earned hard worked for holiday.
Top Tip: You should use about two tablespoons of sun cream to cover your body (while wearing a swimsuit) and rub it in evenly. Unless your product states “immediate protection” make sure you apply sun cream about 20-30 minutes before you go out into the sun. Ideally do this before you get dressed for the day. This ensures you don’t miss any areas and also makes sure it doesn’t get on clothes. Then, reapply every 2 hours, or immediately after swimming, towelling dry or if you’ve been sweating a lot.
Top Tip: Use products that have the 5 star UVA rating, giving you the maximum protection. To be safe in the sun, you should use a sun cream that has both a high SPF and the maximum 5 star UVA protection. The star rating is a measure of the absorbance of UVA relative to UVB. Brands not displaying a star rating symbol may still offer high levels of UVA protection.
Special ARRANGEMENTS for those four legged friends
Making sure your beloved pets are cared for whilst you’re sat by the pool sipping sangria is a priority. If like us your lucky enough to have an amazing friend like we do who is staying in our home with our two dogs then your more than good to go. If you’re not so lucky or you just don’t like asking friends or family to do this then arranging boarding is another way to go. Just make sure to do your research and make sure your four legged friends will be getting looked after properly.
It’s also important to remember that animal boardings will ask for proof of up to date vaccination and many even require dogs to have been vaccinated for kennel cough.
When dropping your pets off at boarding have up to date vaccination cards to hand as well as your vets contact details as some may ask for this information and being prepared with it before hand makes life easier for you.
The final Steps
After printing out your essential documents, packing what clothing has made the cut and deciding how you want to do your toiletries its finally time to run through your list to see what still needs to be done.
Have you arranged an airport hotel & parking if you need it? Have you booked fast track security and an airport lounge? It’s always best to shop around for these things to make sure you’re getting the best deal. Always read reviews on the available lounges at your departure airport to make sure you’re getting the best deal as well. For this trip we will look at booking fast track security in the next few weeks but as the flight is a very early morning flight we don’t see the benefit in booking a lounge.
Weigh your luggage! Making sure you’re within your luggage weight allowance is so important and something that always causes me stress. We have a set of luggage scales that we use to check the weight of each suitcase before arriving at the airport. These are available from pretty much any retail shop or online shop and ease the stress, at least for this part. This means you won’t have the embarrassment of having to open your case at check-in and try to rearrange things.
Don’t forget that you may have a hand luggage allowance as well. So long as you leave room for any tech you plan to take with you and the charging cables/adaptors then you might be able to pack any items of clothing that take you over your checked baggage allowance in to your carry on case. Just be sure to check what your airline allows in terms of cabin case size and the weight limit.
Have a safe flight and have fun! you’ve earned it. Have an amazing holiday, stay safe and we will catch you in the next blog!
Callum & Darren
p.s Don’t forget that we will be making a vlog series on this trip as well so don’t forget to follow and subscribe to us on YouTube, just click the link below, to make sure you don’t miss it!
