How many people have gone on holiday, got to their vacation rental home and, once there, winced, totted and uttered the immortal line of “I forgot to bring my…”? It's always going to be difficult to remember everything and you can't legislate for some things, but there are a few standard items that you must not, cannot, and with the help of vacationrentalpeople, will not, forget.
The world has got smaller and more and more people choose to vacation abroad, and there's a little documentation notebook-type of thing that allows us to move from country to country; the Passport. Despite how obvious this is, it's amazing how many people leave their house thinking about the wonderful vacation rental home they're heading to, get to the airport, queue up at the check-in desk, hand their luggage in, and only then, at the last minute, do they stick their hand in their pocket and suddenly freeze as they remember that they left their passport exactly where it's been since they got back from their last holiday destination.
Only one way to make sure, and that's to make sure that the last thing you do before you lock the door and take the first step towards your family destination is to pull out your passport and physically hold it in your hand. Alternatively, if you're a family, designate one person (usually the mum is the safest bet) to hold everyone's passports and carry them to and fro the border. But whatever you do, don't forget your passport.
Along the same lines, you must check on the visa requirements of your holiday destination. Depending on where you're from, the requirements will be different and usually, if you're traveling within the same continent that you hail from, you won't need to pre-plan but, it's better to be safe than sorry. A quick browse through the internet and you'll know what to do. Sometimes you might have to make a quick, usually painless trip to an embassy or an agent and apply in advance, so make sure you check early so you don't get caught out.
The right clothing. This, again, is obvious, but the reason so many people get this wrong is because they assume too much about the vacation destination which their vacation rental home is located in. You may be going to a hot country but at the wrong time of year and the nights may get chilly, so bring a couple of jumpers, or a light jacket. You may be going skiing but once you get there you discover that there's a spa, swimming pool and Jacuzzi in your vacation rental home, only to realize you can't make use of it because you didn't pack your bikini. Legislate for everything and get the most out of your vacation.
No holiday is complete these days without bringing back some photos to delight or bore your friends with, and more importantly, to keep and treasure for posterity. How else are you going to show off that amazing vacation rental beachfront villa and the spectacular view? Don't forget your camera, but, even more importantly (and more commonly), don't forget the all-important accessories; batteries and a power pack to charge the camera up with.
Another thing you're going to need is money and, since nobody wants to carry around a whole week's supply of notes, that little bit of plastic. In today's world, most credit cards can be used all over the place but sometimes, due to fraudulent practices and attempts to prevent them, a card may cease to work so, if you have a spare, bring it along. You may have already pre-paid for your vacation rental home but there's nothing worse than being stuck on holiday with no spending cash.
There are many other things that you can forget which may be advisable to make a note on, but, most holiday rental homes will be well kitted out so it's not things that will ruin your holiday. All of the above will. And if it helps, make a little list and tick them off one by one. Then just go and have fun in whatever wonderful holiday destination you've chosen.
Martin Wynn
