A travel editor’s tips on how to get the most out of your trips this year

Happy new year from Porto, where I escaped to a few days ago. It’s 16C, the wine’s local and cheap and there’s the magnificent Dom Luis I bridge to gawp at – where better to spend the first day of 2019?

I was determined to make it to Portugal’s second city in 2018 (we like second cities at The Independent) and I’ve just about managed to crowbar in a short trip to the home of francesinha and port.

Ticking off new destinations and experiences every year is an easy resolution for anyone to make. On my list this year is Athens (after 32 years, Greece remains a travel black hole for me), summer in Aspen (this Colorado ski town is so much better in summer) and Malawi in east Africa (friendly, varied landscapes and still with a whiff of the undiscovered).

Ignore what anyone tells you: plane tickets only get more expensive the nearer you get to departure. The same goes for train tickets. Planning months ahead might seem more abstract than exciting, but forward planning pays off.

Had you realised that this year there’s a sneaky run of bank holidays around the end of April that will net you 18 days off for just nine days of annual leave? You’re welcome.

A friend always unpacks when she gets to her destination, even if only there for a few nights, to get herself into “holiday mode” quicker than she can down a pina colada and sling a flower garland round her neck.

As a lifelong city breaker I never do this, and even I’ll admit it is depressing to constantly rifle through a carry-on to find only creased clothes. See also: pack lighter. When was the last time you wore absolutely everything you packed? Mine was a trip in 2006.

An obvious one. As the pound sinks and travel to Europe gets a smidge more complex post-Brexit, it’s the perfect opportunity to explore what’s on our doorstep. In the summer, Cornwall’s Isles of Scilly look more like Barbados than Brighton, and did you know that Wakefield in West Yorkshire is quietly becoming a public art hotspot?

In 2018, I learnt how to dive. In 2019, I want to come back from a trip with another tangible skill. I’m just not sure what it is yet.

If you’re flying with only hand luggage and have checked in already, you really don’t need to show up at the airport two hours before. In some particularly efficient airports (Hong Kong and Singapore, for example) you can even show up as late as 50 minutes before takeoff (a particularly useful piece of advice if you booked a 5.30am flight from Gatwick to Porto, ahem). But it does mean you have to be at the gate on time – typically a hardline 30 minutes before. Use your judgement on this one.

I love that delicious feeling of waking up somewhere entirely new and having the whole day to explore it. But first: go for a run around the neighbourhood. Not only will it (maybe) aid jet leg recovery, but it’ll immediately orientate you in your new environment. And you won’t feel bad about scarfing that francesinha and port…

Yours,

Cathy Adams

Head of travel