Summer Travel Guide

Planning a holiday this summer?

Here are some tips and tricks to make it enjoyable

What to pack

Bikini and swim shorts

Bikini or swim shorts are perfect for lazy days on the beach or a swim in your hotel’s infinity pool on sweltering days.

T-shirts

Pack a few T-shirts to pair with jeans or shorts. They’re also handy when there are unforeseen accidents that require a change of clothing.

Sunscreen

Protect your skin from the sun by applying sunscreen before you step outside. Be generous with it!

A good moisturiser

Summer is the perfect time to moisturise and hydrate your skin. Ask your dermatologist to recommend the best products for you.

A shoe for every occasion

Pack a pair of sandals, a good pair of running shoes and something formal.

Road safety

• Ensure that the vehicle is roadworthy. Check that the lights, windows and wipers, wheels and tyres, brakes, suspension, battery, belts and chains, cooling system, filters and fluids, safety and warning equipment and child car seats work in perfect order.

• Plan out the route of their road trip. Consider how long the trip will be, the number of pitstops, and whether you will need to book accommodation along the way.

• The plan will help guide your spending habits. Be mindful of your families needs and preferences as not all travellers are the same.

• Eating out can be expensive, so opt to pack food and beverages. Depending on the duration of your trip, set daily food budgets to ensure that you are not overspending. The budget can be for purchasing groceries, snacks or even takeaway if cooking isn’t your thing.

• Create a playlist with everyone's favourite music or podcasts.

Holiday rental tips

• Make sure hot electrical appliances, toxic substances and sharp objects are locked away or out of reach of children. The same applies to matches, paraffin and lighters.

• Search the home for objects that may cause harm. Read the labels on items you’re not sure about.

• Don’t let children near candles, fireplaces or the braai unless there is continuous supervision.

• Keep cabinets locked, especially ones where you keep chemicals.

• Be wary of little ones being near the bath or geyser.

• Keep toxic indoor plants out of reach.

• Make sure the pool cover is secure whenever the pool is unattended.

Beach safety

While you may want a spontaneous beach day, planning is vital. When at the beach, swim only where and when lifeguards are on duty and swim between their red and yellow flags. Rip currents are the greatest cause of drowning accidents along the coast. A rip current is a section of water that flows fast out to sea against the incoming waves. Anyone caught in a rip current will realise they are being swept out to sea faster than they can swim towards shore.

Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass on a summer day listening to the murmur of water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is hardly a waste of time.

John Lubbock

If you are caught in a rip current, here's what to do:

• Do not panic and do not try to swim against the current. Let the current take you out to sea. It will not take you more than a few 100m and will not pull you under the water. There is no such thing as an undertow in the sea.

• Raise one arm in the air and wave for help to alert people on the shore that you are in trouble.

• The rip current force gets weaker the further out to sea it gets. At your first opportunity, swim parallel to the beach until you are free of the rip current and then use the incoming waves to aid your progress to get back to shore.

General tips

Stay vigilant:

Always check your surroundings at all times. No matter how safe a place seems, it’s best to remain alert even on holiday.

Minimalism is key:

Sure, you want to flash your latest smartphone or watch, but those expensive items may lure criminals. Take essential items and leave the bling back at your hotel. If you are carrying valuables, keep them safely hidden.

Sun safety

Long hours in the sun could result in heat related conditions such as sunburn, heat exhaustion or heatstroke. Babies and young children are also at risk of developing heatstroke. Heatstroke, in particular, occurs when the body’s core temperature increases beyond 40°C.

It can cause an individual to slip into a coma or suffer organ failure and can be fatal if not treated properly.

The symptoms of heatstroke may differ from person to person and may include heat exhaustion, nausea, headache, vomiting, fatigue, muscle cramps, aches and dizziness.

Other symptoms include a high temperature with dry flushed skin and an absence of sweating as well as a rapid pulse with trouble breathing.

It is vital to attempt to get your child’s body temperature down to prevent the risk of organ damage. If possible, place the child in a bath filled with cool or tepid water, if they are conscious, and keep a close eye on the child to make sure they don’t lose consciousness.

Don’t use very cold water as it can cause peripheral circulation to shut down, thereby preventing the heat from escaping the core of the body.

Alternatively, move the child into the shade, and remove excessive clothing. Give the child water to drink or isotonic drinks containing electrolytes, if available and if they can take any liquids orally