LONG HAUL CITY BREAKS: MAKING THE MOST OF A SHORT GETAWAY
We all love to travel, right? And sometimes getting away for just one main holiday doesn’t quite scratch the travel itch that we’re all so familiar with. Adding a few city breaks to your calendar is a great way to see new parts of the world, particularly if you’re short on time. But what about booking a short break to somewhere far away? It’s certainly doable; you’ve just have to make sure that you plan your time a little better. With that in mind, here are a few top tips on how to make the most of a long haul city break.
Flight times
First thing’s first, you need to carefully consider your flight times before booking anywhere. If you only have a few days to explore a place, you don’t want to be arriving too late in the day or leaving too early on your final day. Instead, book flights that arrive at your destination in the morning and depart later on in the day.
Plan, plan, plan
Don’t just turn up with the hope of figuring out what’s best to do when you get there. Your time is precious, so you need to have already researched the top things to do, the attractions you’d like to see and even things like any particular restaurants you’d like to eat at. Study a map and figure out where everything is in relation to each other and plan your days accordingly.
Hotel location
This may seem like quite an obvious one, but many people research hotels based on price and end up some distance away from the city centre, relying on taxis or public transport to get you into the city. Properly research a hotel’s location and find a balance between one that’s close to everything and one that suits your budget.
Avoid jet lag
Of course, if you’re travelling long haul then there’s a risk of being struck by the dreaded jet lag. But don’t worry, there are ways to avoid it. Try and refrain from eating a large meal before you fly, then set your watch to the local time at your destination when you get on the plane and start adjusting to that. You’re more than likely going to be tired when you arrive, but you’ve got to do your best to stay awake and not take a nap or have an early night. A good way to combat this is to book tickets for an event that first evening, such as a sports game or a show.
Getting around
Exploring a city by foot is one of the best ways to get a feel for a place. But if time is of the essence, then you really ought to make the most of the transport options available to you in the city centre. As well as metros and public buses, many cities have hop-on hop-off tourist buses which take you to all the main sights. Alternatively, see if there’s some sort of city pass available, which will allow you to travel quickly and freely, and might even include entrance to some of the top attractions.
Whoever said a long haul city break can’t easily be done? Follow these simple steps and you’ll be surprised at just how much you’ll manage to fit in to your next getaway.
Thank to Chelsea Ellsworth for partnering with Flying the Nest on this post!