The festive season is here, which – outside of the obvious – can only mean one thing: 2026 is hot on its heels. A new year is always an excellent opportunity to turn over a new life, and 2026 is no different; it’s this humble writer’s opinion, though, that one key thing should top your list of new year’s resolutions.
Times are hard, and finding the time to unwind in the middle of it all even harder. Don’t get caught lacking by the oncoming festive season when it comes to planning your 2026 getaways! The sooner you get cracking, the better your eventual and hard-earned holiday will be. Still, planning a holiday’s a tough thing – so let this humble writer help, with some tips and tricks to getting the most out of your next big trip.
1. Maximise Your Annual Leave for Longer Breaks
First, it’s crucial that you take stock of your calendar – not your advent calendar, but your 2026 calendar. With a little advance notice on when the bank holidays land, you can maximise your getaway potential by timing your holiday days carefully, and booking them in before other people snap them up.
For instance, Easter Monday falls on the 6th April this coming year. If your workplace is gracious enough to give you Good Friday off too, taking the 7th to the 10th off could give you a full 9 days of holiday! Of course, the extra leave days you save are a little offset by the higher demand of holidays in such a busy time of year.
2. Where to Go?
But what exactly should you be doing with this time? Picking a destination is difficult enough, but picking one that’ll stand the test of time and memory is another entirely. The conventional favourites are always good, but also always there for a quick getaway; do you really want to give your carefully-planned week-or-two away to the same resort on Tenerife? Dare to dream bigger!
And dreaming bigger doesn’t mean dreaming farther either. There’s so much more to discover in Europe than the travel brochures would have you believe. For instance, Sardinia is a secret-weapon European destination that combines the culture and quietude of suburban Italy with island life and a minimal tourist crowd.
3. Budgeting Tips for Your Summer Holiday
Of course, it doesn’t matter how far in advance you plan your holiday; money will always be something of a concern. There are a few ways to tackle this, including the obvious: for a big family, for instance, all-inclusive holidays could be worth considering for the fact that they make transport, meal-planning and itinerary-making both easier and cheaper in the long run.
Selecting for quieter destinations, like the aforementioned Sardinia, can also bring costs down, where less tourist demand means less inflated prices. If you’re only bringing your partner along, consider trying to avoid all but the most essential culinary experiences, opting instead to cater for yourselves where possible. With a little temperance on the restaurant front, you can stretch your euros a lot further without compromising on experience.