by Naomi Stewart

Soooo it’s that time of year again…planning THE BIG HOLIDAY with the girls. Yay. Don’t know what to expect? Here’s our handy guide to get you through…

Decisions

You’ve all been waiting for this moment since Christmas and it finally feels like Christmas again except this time with sun, cocktails and hopefully some hunky strangers. Perhaps a quiet villa in Malta? A beach and party holiday in Ibiza? Or something sophisticated in Marbella? The possibilities are endless.

Initiative

Everyone says they’re in but no one starts to book anything until that one organised person eventually takes the plunge and…creates a WhatsApp group, obvs. It’s gonna be your holiday bible covering outfits, pool floats, day activities, night activities, hotels, restaurants, transportation and the kitchen sink. You name it, it get’s mentioned. Dare to miss anything and you’re left clueless to what’s happening. The lesson? Make sure notifications are turned on and check your phone at regular intervals. ‘Cos everyone knows there’s nothing worse than coming back to 93 unread messages.

Planning

Chances are you’re all gonna be hit with a 20kg luggage allowance and you’ll want to save all that for clothes, right? Decide who’s taking what toiletries, hairdryers and other commodities. No point in everyone bringing toothpaste, right?

The Buildup

As the holiday draws closer, tensions are high and excitement is rife. There’s a last minute panic in the group chat about stress packing and the ‘what if we don’t have enough suncream?’ conversation. Last time you checked there were local shops in the place you were holidaying. Keep your cool and try not to stress about the weight you haven’t lost, the outfit you didn’t quite nab in time or that nail appointment you just couldn’t afford! Write a list of everything you need to pack and check it once then focus on sipping cocktails in the sun with not a care in the world!

The HOLIDAY

It’s D-day, it’s probably 5 am and you’re in the airport already drinking prosecco with the girls. For the next 7 days you can relax, turn off your email notifications and get a tan that lasts about as long as the holiday itself before morphing back into your natural shade.

Decisions (again!)

Now I know I said you can relax but this one is the most important of them all; Laura’s vegetarian, Lucie is GF and Sarah only likes pizza so trying to find a restaurant to eat 3 times a day for 7 days is going to be tough! 

My advice is to plan ahead and compromise compromise compromise!

Image credit: Unsplash