Holiday checklist – 24 essential steps, from packing to travel prep

Travel disruption and ever-changing luggage and airport security scanner rules make planning a summer holiday overseas daunting. 

Complicating things further, the EU’s exit-entry system is to be introduced from 12 October this year for UK travellers. From 2026, Brits will need an ETIAS visa waiver for travel to the EU, which has tripled in price since its introduction. Plus, countless holiday hotspots are changing their entry rules and laws for tourists.

We’ve rounded up everything travellers from the UK need to know and prepare for to keep you on track, including when to fly to avoid delays, to the holiday companies to avoid. 

Plus, our advice could also save you a fortune. Take car hire insurance, for example – we’ll steer you to where you can buy top-rated cover costing up to £183 less than what you might be pressured into at the car hire desk.

Airport parking is another area where prices have rocketed. Want to avoid paying over £400 a week? See our tips below.

For more unbiased advice on who to book with and where to go, sign up to the free Which? Travel newsletter 

What you need to do before you book a holiday

Consider when to book to avoid disruption

We all know to try to fly outside of the school summer holidays. It’s not just cheaper – you are also less likely to encounter disruption. But also try to fly in the mornings, when flights are statistically less likely to be cancelled or delayed. 

The later you fly, the higher the likelihood that your plane or crew got caught up in disruption and is running late. Data from OAG, a global travel data provider, suggests that 11am is the sweet spot, slashing your chances of disruption by up to a quarter.

Check strike dates

The summer holidays are also when most strike action takes place. Last year, border force, air traffic control and airport staff went on strike at various times. Strikes by air traffic control regularly occur during the summer and are very disruptive if you are flying. 

If you can, check 2025 strike dates ahead of time on airport and airline websites and avoid travelling during them. Strikes by air traffic control tend to be especially disruptive.

Avoid hiked tourist taxes

If you’re flexible on location, check whether your chosen destination is suffering from overtourism – Barcelona, Venice and parts of the Canary Islands are key examples. You could get caught up in protests, overcrowded streets and attractions, and face hiked tourist taxes. 

Read our list of destinations suffering from overtourism and where to go instead.

Choose a recommended holiday company

The most important decision you will make when booking is how you book and who you book with. 

Which? always recommends taking a flight-inclusive package holiday if you can. Packages provide legal and financial protection if things go wrong, and support and repatriation in the event of an emergency.

But some package holiday companies offer a much better holiday experience than others. That’s why we survey thousands of customers every year. Whether you’re looking for a traditional beach break, escorted tour, walking holiday, city break or even something tailor-made, you’ll find a recommended provider in our reviews of the best and worst package holiday companies in 2025.

If you choose not to book a package, you can still ensure you travel with the best. Check out our reviews of the best and worst airlines and accommodation booking websites.

Check your passport validity and visa requirements

The latest passport rules mean UK travellers heading to Europe’s Schengen Area must meet strict criteria. Get it wrong and airlines may refuse to let you board.

Your passport must be less than 10 years old on the day you travel and have at least three months’ validity remaining on the day you leave the Schengen Area. Check your passport in good time. While renewals typically take up to three weeks, the Passport Office advises travellers to allow at least 10 weeks for applications to be processed.

From 12 October 2025, UK travellers entering countries in Europe may be fingerprinted or have a facial photo taken at the border as part of the EU’s new entry-exit system. You don’t yet need a visa or visa waiver to enter the EU – that’s coming in 2026 – but you do in many other countries, including the US (Esta). 

Look out for copycat websites charging above the odds for visas and visa waivers. 

You can also check entry requirements for specific countries on the FCDO’s advice pages, and sign up to notifications, so you’re alerted should anything change that you need to know about. 

Find out what vaccinations you need

Always check the NHS website Fit For Travel to find out the health risks of your destination. 

Even Europe can hold risks for travellers. For example, if you’re hiking or camping, you may want to be immunised against tick-borne encephalitis.

If you think you need jabs, visit your GP or practice nurse eight weeks before travel because some inoculations and boosters take time to become fully effective.

Check which medication you can take abroad

If you need to travel with medication, check the rules for every country you will visit, or even pass through. Some countries, including Japan, UAE and Singapore, have an extensive list of medicines they won’t allow in. Find out how to travel with your medication legally and safely.

You may need to get a letter from your GP, which you should request two months before departure. Your surgery may charge for this letter as the service falls outside basic NHS healthcare. Carry this letter, along with your prescription, when you travel.

Look up local rules for tourists

Avoid disruption by making sure you’re clear on the rules for entering a country and moving around your destination while you’re there. Spain, for example, now requires more detailed information at hotel check-in. Portugal expects tourists to carry ID at all times. And in Venice, you could be fined for eating a sandwich in the wrong spot.

Other rules to watch out for include bikini bans, smoking restrictions and alcohol laws. Read our guide to travel rules in Spain, Portugal, Greece and more and check the FCDO website for the country you’re visiting.

Check for travel warnings

It’s important to check your destination is safe to travel to — and that nothing on your travel itinerary will invalidate your travel insurance.

There are two types of FCDO travel warnings to be aware of:

1) Warnings against all travel — usually seen in war zones or when there has been a significant natural disaster

2) Warnings against all but essential travel — meaning that tourists should not visit.

The FCDO will make it clear on the ‘Warnings and Insurance’ page for each country if it advises against tourism in the area. If your planned destination has either of these types of warnings, you should plan to travel elsewhere.

What you need to do as soon as you book a holiday

Buy travel insurance straight away

We can’t emphasise enough how important it is to buy travel insurance as soon as you book. 

It means you’re much more likely to be covered for any pre-departure issues that mean you can’t travel. 

Many holiday companies and airlines will try to sell you their own insurance – don’t take it. It isn’t usually any cheaper, and it’s certainly not better. 

To help you make the right choice, we’ve rated hundreds of policies and scrutinised the T&Cs of each one.

Find the best travel insurance for holidays in 2025.

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Check your EHIC and apply for a GHIC

The Global Health Insurance Card (Ghic) is a must for travelling in Europe. It entitles you to healthcare in most European countries for the same cost as locals. In many countries, such as Spain, that means you won’t pay a penny to see a doctor or be treated in a public hospital.

The Ghic replaces the old Ehic (European Health Insurance Card). If you still have an Ehic, and it’s still valid (check the date), then you don’t need to do anything. But if it has run out, you can apply for a Ghic directly from the NHS.

The Ghic won’t cover everything, though (that’s why you need travel insurance), and there are pitfalls to look out for. We’ve rounded up everything you need to know about the Ghic.

Reserve a hire car early

Lock in your rental car at the same time as booking your holiday, particularly if you’re planning during high season, or to a country with high demand, such as Italy, Portugal or Spain. Read our reviews of the best car hire providers before you book.

Always opt for a provider or broker that offers free cancellation, like Which? Recommended Provider Zest Car Rental – this means you can check prices closer to the time, and if they’ve dropped, cancel and rebook for cheaper.

Pay upfront for the best price — this is usually around £30-£50 cheaper per week to pay when you book, and it protects you from unscrupulous companies cancelling your booking in order to take a more valuable one as rates rise. 

Read all of our tips on how to get cheaper car hire.

Don’t take car hire insurance from the car hire firm

Car hire companies will try to sell you their insurance at the rental desk. But we’ve found it’s overpriced and offers inferior cover. 

Take Avis, for example. In Spain you’ll pay £165 for a week’s insurance, on top of the car hire cost. But it only gets a policy score of 41% — joint bottom of our table, along with Budget, which got the same score and costs £199.

You’re far better off buying from a specialist insurer online in advance. You’ll pay as little as £16 per week, with a comprehensive policy, scoring 80% in our analysis.

We’ve analysed the policies to give you our selection of the best car hire insurance in 2025.

Book airport parking early

You’ll save a fortune if you book your parking in advance. Manchester Airport’s multi-storey turn-up price was a whopping £429.80 for a week’s holiday when we checked in July 2025. But when booking with even as little as two days’ notice, that fell to £133.30.

Booking airport parking even an hour or two before you’re due to arrive can bag you significant savings. 

When we looked at five of the UK’s biggest airports (Birmingham, Edinburgh, Gatwick, Heathrow and Manchester) in December 2024, we found huge savings, including a £335 saving at Gatwick’s premium short stay – booked just one hour ahead of arrival.

To help you get an even better deal, we’ve compiled a list of the best ways to save on airport parking.

Getting dropped off or picked up at the airport by someone else? Check whether the airport drop-off car park is barrierless, like London Stansted, Birmingham and Manchester. If so, the driver will need to register to pay ahead of time, or make sure they pay before midnight the following day to avoid a penalty charge.

Avoid fees overseas with a good travel credit card

If you don’t already have one, it’s a shrewd move to get a top-rated travel credit card that offers fee-free spending and a great exchange rate on foreign transactions.

Which? has identified the best credit cards to use abroad to save you money. See our table of Best Buy travel credit cards to help you choose.

You can find out more about the cheapest way to spend money abroad in our 2025 guide.

What you need to do before you go on holiday

Buy foreign currency

Even if you’ve got a great travel credit card, there are some places where cash is still king. And it’s a good idea to have some cash with you when you arrive for a taxi, bus or train to your hotel.

But you should never exchange money at the airport. The rates are terrible. Last time we checked, changing £500 in the terminal would get you €115 less than if you bought currency online or on the high street. 

Figure out how tipping works at your destination

Tipping etiquette can vary significantly depending on the country you’re visiting. In many US destinations, you’ll be expected to tip for almost every interaction, whereas in Japan, tipping isn’t a cultural norm. 

Expectations also differ across Europe, and you could accidentally drastically overspend if you’re not in the know. 

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Sort out your mobile roaming

With most big networks now charging for roaming in Europe and eye-watering costs further afield, it’s essential to take steps to avoid a shock bill before travelling.

For example, EE pay-monthly customers who use data on their phones in the US pay £5 a day for a ‘travel data pass’. This means a fortnight’s holiday adds £70 to your phone bill.

Whether you decide to switch to wi-fi only, buy a bundle, switch providers or invest in an e-Sim card will depend on where you’re going, how often you travel and how much you plan to use your phone while you are abroad.

Our guide to mobile roaming charges tells you everything you need to know.

Check your luggage allowance

It’s easy to get caught out if you’re not clear what you’re entitled to take on board as hand luggage. Some airlines, such as Ryanair and Wizz, allow you to take only an underseat bag, whereas others, such as Jet2 and BA, allow you to bring an additional small case.

Check what you’re entitled to in our guide to airline cabin bag allowance in 2025, and remember that the airlines with the stingiest luggage limits tend to be the ones with the highest charges for adding extra bags. Read more to learn more about what to do if an airline says your cabin bag is too big.

If you want to try to squeeze more into your existing baggage, we tested vacuum roll bags and packing cubes to see if they live up to their claims. Check our advice on how to pack a suitcase (the most space-efficient way) and to find out why we don’t recommend packing cubes.

If you find that you need new hand luggage for your trip, these are the best cabin bag brands for 2025.

And if you are in the market for a new full-size suitcase, our survey of luggage owners found some affordable suitcase brands that are virtually indestructible.

Check your airport’s liquid rules

Some UK airports have now scrapped the 100ml airport liquid rule restriction, with passengers now able to take liquids of up to two litres through airport security — but rules still differ from airport to airport. Read our guide to the liquid rules at security before you pack your hand luggage.

Check for disruption before you leave – and never cancel

Always check your airline’s website and the airport website to see if your flight is delayed; the airport website is often updated faster. And leave extra time if delays and cancellations look likely.

Airline staff going on strike can lead to long check-in and bag-drop queues. If, while queuing, it becomes apparent that you may miss your flight, call your airline before departure to see if you can move to a later flight for free.

If you’re concerned about disruption abroad that could affect your holiday, don’t cancel. Instead, contact your airline or holiday company to see whether there is an option to move your holiday to a later date, and if not, wait. If the operator cancels your holiday, you should then be offered a full refund or the option to rebook, but you may lose everything if you cancel yourself.

You should also keep an eye on the latest advice from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO). If the FCDO advises against travelling to your destination, you should be able to make a claim on your travel insurance.

Skip the fast track

We analysed queue data from almost 8,000 trips, and found that most of the time, fast-track airport security is generally a waste of money. The average time passengers spent going through security at UK airports last year was 19 minutes, and for passport control, it was just 17 minutes.

So, if you aren’t travelling at peak time (between 4am and 9am), or via Manchester and Birmingham airports (among the worst for airport queues in our survey), fast track probably isn’t worth it.

And, before you spend money to access an exclusive lounge at the airport, check our guide to the best and worst airports for lounges — the experience can vary dramatically according to where you fly from, and many can be busy.

Read more: Is fast track worth it at the airport?

Pack a decent sun cream

Check the expiry date on your sun cream before you travel, and also whether your brand will protect you as well as you think. Shockingly, our tests regularly uncover sun creams that fail UVA or UVB tests (in some cases, both), meaning they don’t provide the protection against the sun’s harmful rays that they claim.

Our full sun cream reviews tell you the brands to avoid, as well as some Best Buys that are also Great Value.