19 Things You Have To Do Before Going Away This Summer

For Students, summer is the greatest time of the year. Three months of pure bliss, holidays and not being told what to do. You can go to as many festivals, clubs and destinations of your choosing, granted you have the money to go with it. As us Irish students love to be anywhere but here for our time off, once we see summer approaching we know it is time to start planning. Get as much information you can and get booking. You do not want to leave it until the last minute. There are some things you should and shouldn't do before you go. Here is a list of 19 Things You Have To Do Before Going Away This Summer.

1) Choose Your Destination

If you are heading away with a group of people, or even just by yourself, write down a list of the possible places you would like to go to. Then narrow them down by a vote of hands and then it is time to start a Pros and Cons list. Slowly start to eliminate the destinations until you come to a decision. Make sure everyone is happy with it, because if there is even one person who doesn't agree, they will try sway people to pick another and you will have to start all over again.

2) Get Information

Make sure you know what information you need before you going away. Talk to your friends, families and cousins who have gone before. Also, take a look at our College Times College Summer Tips. We have 29 Tips To Surviving Ibiza, 60 Tips For Surviving Huntington Beach 2014, 18 Things To Know About A J1 In Montauk, 49 Tips To Surviving Thailand and 42 Tips To Surviving Ios, Greece. We have the stress free tips for students to holiday abroad.

3) Get Down To The Gym

Now I know the gym may be packed and you aren't arsed to wait 10 mins for the treadmill but try and go. Figure out hours less people will be there and aim to go then. Any time you think you aren't bothered just think how much better you will feel because we can guarantee that there are plenty of secret gym goers that whip out a rocking body, leaving you shocked and remorseful. Very time you feel too tired to go, imagine yourself lying on a beach in that bikini or board shorts cursing yourself for not going to the gym when everyone else was.

4) Weather Forecast

Wherever you are going it is important to know the climate. Long story short I went to Salamanca for a month in 4th year with about 8 of my friends. It was Spain, so, I assumed it was sunny Spain weather all I packed was bikinis and shorts. Not one pair of trousers in sight. It rained everyday. So, just make sure you are aware of the weather conditions. Yes, Thailand is ridiculously hot and you will need bikinis, shorts and crop tops galore, but bring a rain coat for those random rain pours.

5) Visa

If a Visa is required get it sooner rather than later and make sure you will be guaranteed to have your passport back before you leave. Basically read the fine print and don't leave yourself short. You need a holiday visa for any time you enter the US. If you are planning on going to Thailand for more than 4 weeks you have two options: a) get a holiday visa and have prove that you are leaving and re-entering the country or b) get a 6 week visa.

6) Accommodation

Even if you don't know where you are staying you should designate someone to the job. One person, or whoever else wants to, should print out a list of places they wish to stay on their travels. I recommend booking the first place you are staying before you go and the last one, therefore you know for definite where you are going first and where you are finishing. Just showing up and having absolutely no clue where you should stay or where the students areas are could be your downfall.

7) Creep Around

Find out who is going to be there beforehand. Dublin is a very small place and you will need to know who is heading to the same place as you. You can avoid them at all costs or be happy to see them. Just don't follow them entirely. They're not stupid and they will notice, you stalker you.

8) Book Festivals In Advance

If you are going somewhere and you plan on going a festival while you are holidaying, do it early. You don't want to be left alone while most of your friends head off to the 3 day festival. Book it before even if it will hurt you financially.

9) Work Part-Time Before You Go

Work as much as physically possible before you go abroad. I'm talking late hours, filling in for someone and going in when your boss rings you and asks you to come in straight away. Don't think of this as you being taking advantage of, think of it as money towards the greatest holiday of your life.

10) Pass Your Exams

Here, I know this is easier said than done. But I doubt when you were half a**ing those exams that you thought you would have to leave your holidays early. Not only that, you had to pay for the flight home and the repeats, so you are now in further debt. Study as much as possible to prevent this from happening.

11) Be Nice To Your Parents

I'm not jumping to any conclusions. I'm sure you are a perfectly well behaved man or woman. But, just in case, you completely f*ck up on your holiday and land yourself, I don't know, in debt or, worse, in prison. You will need a bail out and you will need it fast. And the "see you loser" or "I can't wait to be as far away for you as humanely possible" will come and bite you in the ass.

12) Have The Relationship Talk

If you need to break up with someone, go "on a break", or make sure you are still 100% committed to one another, you need to tell them before you go. Make sure it is face to face and very clear what the rules and regulations are. Texts and Facebook mails can be very interpretive. You want to both be on the same page.

13) Have All Exams, Essays and Extra Credit Sorted

Don't leave anything, college wise, hanging over your head. Don't let your summer be ruined by excessive e-mails from lecturers. Get your sh*t done beforehand and leave with not a worry in the world.

14)  Get Extra Identification

Some nightclubs on your adventure abroad won't except anything but your passport but if they do be sure to bring out another source. Also, if in some array of horrible events you manage to lose your passport at least you will have your Age Card or Drivers License to fall back on. The best thing I ever did was photo copy my passport, make a few copies and disperse them around your luggage. Give copies to your friends and leave one at home, if you lose your passport you're covered and it literally takes two minutes.

15) Buy Disposable Cameras

It will get annoying with that one friend that you have to show every picture to after you take it. Or, the one who tries to delete an unflattering photo of themselves and ends up deleting 2,000 holiday pictures (it happened, I still feel the rage). So, to save the drama, buy disposable cameras. People won't be able to delete them and you will end up with the funniest sets of photos.

16) Get A Replacement Phone

If you are one to lose an iPhone, or ten, get a temporary phone for the holiday. Maybe an old Nokia from around the house or your parents old Samsung. Just make sure, if you are one to lose things, you are very careful. And, if you bring it get insurance.

17) Don't Go Out The Night Before The Flight

It's all fun and games until you miss the flight all together. Or, you could make it and forget the most valuable items. It's your call but I recommend staying in and making a check list. Travelling can be fun but it's a f*cking nightmare hungover.

18) Put Your Facebook Tagging On Private

If you are one to get in a photo and regret it the next day or your parents are on facebook, this could be the plan for you. Go to your privacy settings and make sure people have to request to tag you. This way a photo won't be tagged of you until you approve it. It'll still be up but you will have some control over it.

19) Don't Over-pack

I know this is hard and we all think we need more than we do. But you will buy clothes and souvenirs over there and you will envy the space all your friends have in their bags. And, don't forget the cheap vodka you have to bring back too.