Before you pack your bags and say your goodbyes to your uni friends and flatmates for a few weeks, there are a few things you need to remember.
Make sure you have this checklist covered so you can chill out, pig out and enjoy the most wonderful time of the year!
There's nothing quite like heading ho, ho, home (sorry)!
Stuck for gift inspiration? Find more these amazing and simple personalized Christmas t-shirts for yourself first and your family.
Your Christmas Checklist
1. Book your travel ASAP
If you haven't sorted out your travel already, make sure you do it now!
If you're heading home on the train, remember that the earlier you book, the cheaper the tickets will generally be. Plan what dates you will be traveling (try to be flexible and avoid peak times as much as possible) and reserve yourself a seat as soon as you have a date in mind.
You'll be grateful for the seat when you see people resorting to sitting on bags of presents because it's so overcrowded!
Most train ticket websites allow you to book up to 12 weeks ahead – and you can save up to 40% depending on where you're traveling to and from.
Read our guides on cheap train and coach travel for more money-saving tips!
2. Get as much work done as you can before you leave
2. Get as much work done as you can before you leave
If you know you have deadlines just after the holidays, try and get as much done as possible before you head home.
No one wants to spend Christmas stressing out about writing essays – and chances are when you're full up on turkey and Christmas pudding, you won't be in the mood to work anyway.
Getting ahead means you don't have to worry that the work won't be complete, and you can relax and enjoy yourself.
3. Don't over-pack
Bear in mind that you're only heading back for a few weeks, and there is a washing machine where you're going. Ask yourself if you really need to take half your wardrobe with you!
You'll be grateful of this pointer when you're watching other poor souls dragging their suitcases through a busy train station and trying desperately to cram it onto a rammed coach or train carriage.
Take it from us, train stations close to Christmas are not pretty. The last thing you need is the extra stress of squeezing a massive case onto a busy train.
“But what about all my gifts,” you say?
4. Shop online for presents
Doing the majority of your Christmas shopping online saves a whole lot of time, effort and space in your suitcase. Just make sure you're on it ASAP, so that everything you buy is delivered in time for the 25th.
You'll be super grateful for being spared the task of carrying all the presents home, not to mention avoiding the risk of breakages along the way.
An additional bonus is that you won't be rushing around the shops on Christmas eve looking for gifts with everyone who left it all to the last minute. Just make sure your parents or siblings aren't tempted to peek at the parcels before you get there!
You can buy some best Christmas sweaters or costume Christmas hoodies as gifts for your family members.
5. Remember what you've bought
If you've done some Christmas shopping while at university, don't forget to pack your presents!
Similarly, buying everything online can get a bit confusing and difficult to keep track of since you won't see what's delivered. Make sure you take note of everything you buy in a gift list, otherwise you'll end up with double the gifts for granny and nothing for your dejected little sister.
Traveling back to uni just to pick it up is excessive, and mailing it later in the year may be a little expensive. So, in short, remember your gifts!
6. Clear your room of festivities
If you've had a tree and decorations up in your student digs, as painful as this might sound, you may want to think about taking them down just before you head home.
You don't want to come back in January with the post-Christmas blues to discover that you still need to take the tree down and hoover all the glitter up.
7. Make a list, check it twice
Make a list of everything you're taking back home. This will help immensely when it comes to packing your case again.
When you get home and take everything out your luggage, everything blends in making it easy to forget what you actually need to take back. But whatever you do, don't forget your flat keys! We've all been there.
8. Don't waste electricity
Just before you leave to go home, make sure everything is turned off. Electricals? Off. Heating? Off. Taps? Tightly closed.
And remember, this includes turning things off standby – you might want to unplug everything to be extra sure.
You don't want to come back to a mass of scary bills when no one has even been at home over Christmas, or suffer that wave of panic where you're 200 miles away but think you've left the iron on. Also, if you're living in shared accommodation, get everyone to do the same in their rooms!
9. Empty the fridge
The worst thing you can do is head home for three or four weeks, only to return to milk that's turned to cheese. Make sure the fridge is completely empty before you go. You'll thank us for this later!
The fridge will absolutely stink if you don't, so make sure that you use up those food leftovers before you head home.
20 tips to Survive During The Seasonal Sale10. Lock up securely
Make sure all windows and doors are locked. If you're in shared accommodation, make sure that everything in your room is locked away safely, and that the windows are shut.
If you're super worried about your items, double-check that you have them covered with some decent contents insurance.
Do not announce online to the world that you are going away for weeks and your house will be empty.
Student houses are prime targets for burglaries, so don't make it easier by letting the world know you won't be there.
You never know who you can trust these days…
Checked? Check. Double checked? Check.
Just before you go, double-check you have all your important little bits and pieces, such as your purse or wallet, phone, train tickets, and laptop.
It sounds stupid, but you don't want to get to the train station only to find out you don't have the tickets to actually go anywhere. This stuff happens, and if you've bought an advance ticket, the odds are that you'll need to buy a brand new one on the spot (which will cost a bomb).
Finally, remember that Santa knows if you've been bad or good – so be good, for goodness sake!
If you do end up forgetting to get some gifts, we've got your back – you can order best Christmas sweaters online for the unique las-minute gifts
0 Komentar