What can you do to have an easier return

Coming home to the UK

Everyone loves going on a vacation, your time is all your own, you can get up when you want or plan to and you can mix up what you do making every day fun and enjoyable. Returning home from a great holiday can be hard and getting back to a normal routine is stressful, particularly if you are away for a while. However if you plan correctly you can not only enjoy your time away, you can also make coming back easier so it will be a welcome return to a clean comfortable home.

Whether you are planning on being away for a while or if it's just a short weekend break will determine how important it is to prepare as well as how much effort to put in. After all a weekend trip is easier to get back to normal from than a month long distant vacation .

Plan for the whole trip

Dealing with the return home should start before you leave, after all you have probably already got the return flights booked and if you don't it means you are likely to be away a while longer than normal so a little prep work is important. Here are a few tips that can not only help for when you get back but can leave you more relaxed while on holiday reducing the worry that you forgot to do something.

• Transport - If you are driving to the airport then book convenient parking. You won't fancy doing anything but getting back to your car and getting home after the flight back so make that as easy as possible. Otherwise make sure you know how you are getting home, have a taxi booked, make sure people that need to know the flight landing times or if you are then using a coach or train make sure you can make the connection.
• Security - While away you will want to leave your house looking as if everything is normal, curtains open with valuables out of view, putting timers on lights and a radio so they come on when you would normally put them on, a car parked out the front can help too. Another aspect to be careful of is posting to social media, it's easy for would be thieves to find out when you are away if you put it online for everyone to see. Best to keep the posts for when you get back that way you can include some images of the trip too.
• Pack for the return - Include some clothes in your bags or buy some clothes while abroad that will be suitable for the trip home. Think clothing comfortable for the flight and appropriate to the typical British weather you might expect on return, such as a hoody and a rain jacket, that way you will not only have a more comfortable flight but you won't have issues with the weather change .

• Clean the house - This is often given as a bit of advice for those going away, and for good reason; the most difficult thing to have to deal with after a long day of travelling back is getting in to a house that is messy or even smelly because you forgot to take the rubbish out before going or you left something in the fridge and it's gone off. Give the whole place a clean, make sure rubbish bins are emptied and there is nothing in the fridge to go off. Check that there aren't any devices left on around the house at the same time as closing all the windows to make sure you don't have electrical fires or animals getting in and causing a mess.
• Leave yourself something nice - After cleaning the house you can do things to help you when you get back. Maybe have a meal prepared and left in the freezer to eat for when you return. Have bedding ready to be replaced easily so that you can put some fresh bed sheets on upon your return. Clean the toilets and make sure the loo roll has plenty left to it so that you can go as soon as you are back. Set the heating to come on just before you are due home and have a couple of blankets in strategic places that way when you get in you can get comfy and warm.
• At the end of the holiday - Before your flight home put all of your washing in a bag that way when you get back you won't need to sort through the bags for what needs cleaning. You can get home and just put the laundry bag aside for the next wash. Wear your comfy clothes for the flight and don't be afraid to have some tasty food or snacks, there is no need to get straight back into healthy eating, give yourself a day or two .

• An extra day or two - Speaking of giving yourself an extra day or two; it's far nicer to come home and have a day or two break from going back to work, even if you may feel it wastes those days, as you could remain abroad, but it can make the whole holiday significantly more relaxing when you know you won't be straight back to the daily grind upon return. Take a day or so to get back up to speed and to have a look at some of those holiday snaps, it makes for a much gentler return.
• Next time - Finally after getting back you should take a note of what you used from your luggage, what you didn't and what you had to buy while there. That way the next time you go you will know precisely what to take and simplify the packing.

Of course there is one more thing that you can start doing upon your return that might help keep away the back to work blues, and that is to start planning for your next trip away !

What areas of travel insurance could be relevant

Travel insurance should be there for your whole trip abroad so make sure if you have an annual trip that it covers the length of your longest trip. 31 days is relatively standard but it can be much lower and can go much higher with some policies allowing for 90 days or more on a trip. For a return home travel disruption cover is a useful addition as is airline failure as they will help cover you should you get stuck abroad for any reason.

Otherwise, baggage cover is a useful area to double check in case your bags go missing on the flight and the rest will be based on what sort of trip you are making and what you plan on doing while abroad, you may like to check out some of our other guides for help with those.

Hopefully you've read this guide before going on your trip and you are still planning it so it's worth noting that we at medical travel insurance can aid you in finding travel insurance for your trip just click here to go and get a quote. Don't forget to add the options you want such as cruise, winter sports, golf or travel disruption to get the cover you want. If you are reading this after getting back, well, we hope it went well, and maybe next time you will plan for your return home.