Things that ruin your vacation

There are a huge number and variety of things that can really muck up your dream vacation for you. Certainly there is very little you can do about many of these things, but it’s helpful if you are at least prepared to deal with the most common of these vacation mishaps, miscommunications and accidents that can really sneak up on you. In fact you can even prepare for some natural disasters that might come your way.

Heatstroke
There are few things that can go wrong on your vacation that are both potentially fatal and easily avoidable. Heatstroke and severe dehydration are two of those things, and people who come from colder climates are in the most danger. The best thing you could do is to set up a clear and regular routine of hydration. Take one glass of water for every alcoholic drink, be sure to have a glass of water first thing in the morning and last thing at night, and drink a little extra if you’ve been swimming or sunbathing to compensate for what you lose when sweating. Two litres a day should be your aim and before you ask; no you’re Sex on the Beach doesn’t count towards your water intake.

Hurricanes and Natural Disasters
Hurricanes, monsoons and other natural disasters sadly cannot be predicted, but thankfully there tends to be some forewarning, especially in the case of hurricanes, which you can make use of. If you’re booking a vacation in hurricane season then be sure to invest in an insurance policy that has “cancel for any reason” coverage. This means if you get enough forewarning you can cancel your vacation, get your money back and book a last minute alternative. If you find yourself stranded during any kind of natural disaster, however, you should do what the authorities tell you to, make a note of important guidelines in case the electricity and internet go down, and, most importantly, make sure have a first aid kit to hand.

Lose your Passport
Losing your passport is perhaps one of the most nightmare inducing things that can happen to you while you’re on vacation. Although having it renewed is time consuming, however, it is do-able and you shouldn’t worry too much. The best advice we can give you, however, when it comes to not losing it in the first place is to only take it with you when it’s necessary. When changing money, for example, a photocopy will usually suffice. You should also try to change your money as close to your resort as possible.

Airline Strikes
Airline strikes can really throw a spanner in the works when it comes to a vacation, and it’s hard to say what’s worse; being unable to get to your vacation, or being stranded and unable to get back? Sadly there’s little you yourself can do to stop this from occurring, but you can get travel insurance that will cover you if you need to pay for hotel rooms and extra travel arrangements should a strike occur.

Lost Luggage
Losing your luggage is probably the very worst thing that can happen short of someone actually dying in vacation. Arriving to your destination to find that all your clothes are gone along with your bits and pieces, make up, underwear, perhaps even your jewellery and money if you’re the kind of person that likes to put your money in your (locked) suitcase. Though there is nothing you can do to stop this from happening there are things you can do to make the situation much easier to deal with. Make sure that you have a travel insurance policy that will cover you for the loss of clothing etc. Keeping a spare outfit, set of underwear and swimsuit in your hand luggage, too, will help to make sure you’re never caught completely high and dry.