3. GET CREATIVE WITH YOUR DESSERT ORDER
Ask a sweet tooth, going off-piste with your pudding choice is always a winning idea. Something beguiling and colourful catch your eye in the gelateria? Stick it in a cone. Starting to get funny looks from the Lisbon bakery near your hotel after your 10th pastel de nata? Go hog wild on the Abade Priscos Pudding instead, made with sugar, egg yolks, port wine and pork fat. Trust us, it’s delicious.
4. TRY A NEW LOOK
Is there a better time to launch your new look than on holiday? Whether it’s that extravagantly coloured summer dress you purchased in lockdown or your first foray into headwear (giant silly hats included), Europe’s bustling promenades and buzzing beaches make the ultimate catwalk.
5. Read more books
Make this summer the one where you finally awaken the vivacious reader inside of you. With all that leisure time at your disposal, now you can be that person who effortlessly polishes off three novels and a cheeky celeb biography on their vacay.
6. Be a legend to your mates
Positive drinking is a great way to give yourself a break and maximise your holiday. Take it in turns to be designated driver for the day so you can all enjoy the benefits of balance. Not only will you score genuine brownie points getting your pals to and from the party safe in the cosy cocoon of a hire car, but when you’re driving, you get to pick the tunes.
7. Actually use the hotel gym
They usually have them, don’t they? Imagine returning home looking more buff than before you left.
8. Take better photos
Put that snazzy smartphone to good use and take countless exquisitely-composed snaps instead of the usual half-dozen selfies or under-saturated sunset pics. Follow these tips and you can’t possibly go wrong:
- Think about where the light is. Ideally, you want it in front of your subject, but not so they’re forced to squint.
- Take multiple shots. Click! Click! Click! One of them’s bound to be good.
- Remember the ‘rule of thirds’. Proportion your shot into imaginary thirds, so two-thirds sky, one third beach. So simple, but it works!
9. Sightsee!
All our destinations are mind-blowing, three-dimensional kaleidoscopes of culture and life-changing architecture.
10. Broaden your mind
When you’re out and about this summer, take time to truly observe the contents of that hip gallery or eye-opening museum. And remember, just because it’s hiding in the back doesn’t mean it’s any less mind-blowing.
11. DISCOVER A DIFFERENT KIND OF HOLIDAY TIPPLE
Ahh, that first sip of an ice-cold G&T on holiday – nothing beats it. Try swapping out the alcohol for a measure of Tanqueray 0.0% every now and then and enjoy this simple holiday joy when you’re on-the-go, too. Ideal for when you’re road tripping to the beach and you want something refreshing to accompany that picture-perfect view. And because it’s made from the same four botanicals as its alcoholic counterpart, its quintessential citrusy flavour hits just as good.
12. PROPERLY RELAX
If only for the reason that you’ll actually have a great night’s kip for once, especially with the help of apps like Sleep Cycle, which cleverly hijacks your phone’s sensors to detect periods of light slumber where you’re more amenable to being roused. Or BetterSleep, which promises to lull you in the general direction of dreamland, with a library of soporific sound effects. Nunnight.
13. AVOID CLICHES
‘I need a holiday to recover from this holiday!’ isn’t funny, and never was.
14. Learn a skill with a local
Why not sign up to a cocktail making-masterclass alongside some friendly, like-minded travellers and learn how to serve the ultimate Tanqueray 0.0% concoction? It’s a foolproof icebreaker.
15. LEVEL UP YOUR SNACK GAME
After a few tipples, most of us crave something salty and cheesy with chips. That’s cool! But you can do better. Seek out a banging local morsel, crying out to be nommed. Sample Sicily’s crispy canoli – preferably the ones with chocolate chips and whipped ricotta – or an irrepressible, after-dark serving of currywurst in Berlin.
16. TAKE TIME TO PROPERLY SWITCH OFF
Your holiday is about recuperation and taking a precious opportunity to step out of work mode and rediscover just how blissful doing very little actually is. You’ve worked hard all year and now’s the time for a treat. So remember to take a breather and we promise you won’t regret it.
17. DIG DEEPER INTO A DESTINATION
Especially the ‘party towns’. By altering our focus for a bit, we’ll learn to see these cultures from a local’s perspective. You might even get a little wiser along the way. In Lanzarote, immerse yourself in the mind-bending world of architectural visionary César Manrique. Amsterdam? The Rijksmuseum is a world-class gem.
18. Go running
It’s the morning and you feel great, so pound that promenade! Not only is it an amazing way to see a new place, but you get the added thrill of returning to your slovenly friends half-an-hour later looking red-faced and, frankly, obnoxiously good.
19. Encounter wildlife
Once you’ve properly started relaxing, you’ll notice the peculiar magic of birdsong and appreciate the arresting romantic scent of flowers just a little bit more. And that’s a very good thing.
20. DANCE LIKE A LOCAL
Moving feels good, right? Do it more. Find out how the locals get down then hit the dancefloor. In Catalonia, every Sunday, folks gather out in public and do the Sardana. Meanwhile, in southern Italy, it’s all about the quick, light-footed (and undeniably flirty) Tarantella.
21. SWIM IN THE SEA
Communing with the majestic big blue is just about the quickest route to holiday bliss there is, so have at it. Just familiarise yourself with local advice, avoid bad weather, and don’t go alone. Giola Lagoon, on Thassos island in Greece is a gorgeous spot, which is safe and pleasantly warm thanks to the obliging rock wall separating it from the moody Aegean.
22. BE KIND TO YOURSELF (YOU'VE EARNED IT!)
Just as important as being a reliable travel companion to your mates is being one to yourself, too. Here are a few ways to look after yourself on your hols this summer:
- Remember to charge your phone. It’s good to let your mates know where you are and you’ll need plenty of juice for all the FOMO snaps you’ll be posting.
- Keep your room key somewhere safe. Inside your shoe, safety-pinned to your bra, whatever works!
- If you’re drinking, make sure to eat a decent meal first. Why deprive yourself of the best part of the holiday?!
- Stay hydrated. It might sound like an obvious one, but a few glasses of water is the simplest and most effective boost there is.
- Plan your journey home. Even if you think you’ve got the lay of the land sussed, saving the route back to your accommodation in your phone is always a good idea.
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