Holiday top tips

At the Post Office^® we understand how important holidays are. So, as well as offering you a range of excellent travel services, we thought it would be nice to share a few of our top tips for a great holiday. Simply click on the themes for a useful holiday tip.

Perfect bag packing

Put bulky items like shoes at the bottom of the case where the wheels are. This will stop them slipping down and creasing the rest of your clothes.

Roll small items, like underwear into balls and pack them inside your shoes or boots to save space.

Build super sandcastles

Prepare your building site by soaking it with several buckets of water. Then make a pile of sand a few feet high, soak it with water and pack it firmly. You now have the perfect platform to build a super sandcastle. Very wet sand is the easiest to build castles with. Try wetting down the sand if your castle begins to dry out and crumble during construction.

Hotter holiday photos

Take your shots in the early morning light or during the last hour of the day. The light will be much warmer than the harsh light of midday and your photos will be more atmospheric.

Sensible sun worshipping

We all like coming home with a lovely tan but it's important to sunbathe safely. Try to sunbathe in short bursts, apply sunscreen regularly and avoid being in direct sunlight during the hottest periods of the day - this is usually between 12 noon and 3pm.

Travel happy children

Plan some fun family games for the journey. Drinks and snacks are a good way to diffuse any difficult moments and mini rewards for being helpful keep younger children alert and more interested in your journey even during tedious moments.

Saving on travel guides

Save on buying travel guides and maps by borrowing them from your local library. If you plan ahead, any guides your library doesn't hold can be ordered in.

Mosquito veto

A simple way to avoid mosquito bites is to wear light clothing that covers most of your body. Mosquitoes are attracted to things that remind them of nectar or animals so they zero in on bright or dark colours. If you can, steer clear of still water too.

Converse with concierge

Often the best source of local information is your hotel concierge. Take time to chat to them and introduce yourself during a quiet moment in their day. They're nearly always friendly and will have all the best advice, recommendations and contacts to help you get the most out of your holiday.