Have you been dreaming of a big holiday? You wouldn’t be the only one looking to get away; in 2022 alone, UK residents spent £58.5 billion on trips abroad.

With a huge variety of cultures and activities waiting to be discovered in continental Europe, you’re never far from an incredible experience. But how do you turn a good holiday into a great one? Below, we’ll explore some suggestions for making your next summer holiday one that’ll last in your memory forever.

Choosing your destination

There are a few factors that go into identifying the right destination for a holiday.

• Consider your budget: Some countries are more expensive to visit than others – not just in terms of flights and hotels but day-to-day costs as well – so it’s worth considering how much you’ll need to spend to make the trip everything you want it to be. Those looking to build their credit score through careful financial management might set up a dedicated savings account to save for a holiday and build it up to that goal over a couple of years.
• Identify your interests: Especially if you’re going to be travelling with a partner, your family or a group of friends, it’s important to pick a destination that suits what all of you would like to do. Speak to everyone involved to find out what they’re most interested in. Are beaches a must? If so, do they want to go further with surfing, jet skis or snorkelling? Is there a particular cuisine that someone wants to try in its authentic home? Landmarks they want to see up close? Finding a place that ticks as many boxes as possible for as many travellers as possible is key.
• Special events: If you know when you’ll be travelling but haven’t yet committed to where, you could look into what cultural events are going on in certain places during that time and make sure you’re there to witness them. For example, a holiday in late September is the perfect time to experience Oktoberfest in Germany. Or Christmas would be the perfect time for Lapland. Salzburg Festival is in Austria in July and August. The Cosmojazz Festival is in France in July. As you. can begin to see, there are many festivals and events to choose from!

Crafting your itinerary

The most important part of preparing an itinerary for your European trip is research (the second and third-most important parts are also research). Consider which attractions are the most important to you and prioritise them when making plans – particularly if there is a risk of tickets selling out. Book ahead for the things you most want to do and then you’ll have a picture of how much time you have available in between them, which you can then begin to fill in with other activities.

You should also take care not to overbook yourself. If you fill every hour of every day with visits to attractions of all kinds, you might burn yourself out and not be able to appreciate each one as much as you would have otherwise. Take the temperature of your travelling party and gauge how busy you all want to be – and how much time to leave open for general rest and relaxation as a result. This also gives you the opportunity to be spontaneous and explore things that only occur to you once you’re on the ground.