This article was written for Annabel & Grace, which is now part of Rest Less.
Holidays are supposed to be a time for relaxation, but many people experience sleeping problems when travelling. After all, you must leave behind your daily routine and familiar surroundings, which can cause stress. However, you can avoid a lot of stress if you prepare properly for your trip. One of the things that you should arrange in advance is your travel documents like your passport or your electronic visa.
Travelling and sleeping
When you travel in any way, you always come across sources of stress. It is almost impossible to plan a journey in such a way that you do not experience any stress at all. For example, staying calm when the train is delayed or you are stuck in a traffic jam is difficult. On arrival, you must adjust to unfamiliar surroundings and may experience a culture shock. All these factors can quickly get on a person’s nerves, which is why many people experience sleeping problems when they travel. Something can always go wrong, even if you have planned the trip perfectly. When travelling, one should always be prepared to make spontaneous decisions that may jeopardise pre-existing plans. For this reason, it is a good idea always to book flexible tickets, since they can easily be cancelled if necessary.
Make the right choice of destination and means of transport
First of all, you should think about the right destination and means of transport. Intercontinental air travel is known to cause Jetlag. Few, for example, can immediately adapt to the new time zone after a very long flight to Australia. If you value a good night’s sleep, you should favour nearby destinations and slower modes of transport. But sometimes you have to or want to go on a longer journey. In that case, you can try to adjust your sleep rhythm to the new time zone in the weeks beforehand. On longer flights to Australia, for example, you should do everything you can to get a good night’s sleep during the flight. Cosy pillows and sleep masks can help. In addition, when choosing a destination, always check whether a visa or other travel documents are required for entry, as nothing causes more stress than having to wait for a visa or a new passport in the last few days or minutes before departure.
Choice of accommodation
When choosing your accommodation, you should carefully consider the location of your hotel or holiday house and the customer reviews. People shouting outside the window or a noisy road outside close by can deprive you of a good night’s sleep. In general, quiet rooms with little artificial light are the best for sleeping.
Preparation of travel documents and visas
When preparing for a trip, it is advisable to obtain information about the necessary travel documents, visas and general entry regulations well in advance. A visa is required to travel to many countries, such as Australia. In the case of Australia, the evisitor online application can usually be submitted within a few days.
Nevertheless, you should apply for the visa well in advance, even for travel to Australia, as delays may occur. Passport requirements should also be checked. For example, to travel to the USA with an ESTA, a passport with a biometric chip is required, which is not included in some passports, e.g. children’s passports. Finally, you should observe the latest Coronavirus measures for international entry to the destination must be observed. In Australia, most corona measures for international travellers were recently lifted.
Consider travelling with a travel agency
Especially when travelling to distant countries, you can quickly lose your head over all the requirements and rules. If you look on the internet, you will often find contradictory information, which can rob you of sleep. In such cases, asking a professional travel agency for help can be useful, as they can also answer difficult questions.
More articles on wellbeing can be read here