Vacation rental checklist

The flights are sorted and your vacation rental is booked, so now’s the time to start getting ready for your trip. Whether you’re traveling in a large group or as a couple, this villa holiday checklist will ensure you’re totally prepared for a relaxing break with Top Villas. Here’s what to bring with you.

What to bring with you

Villa information pack

A few weeks prior to your arrival, the team at Top Villas will send you a villa information pack via email in PDF form. This includes your check-in and check-out times, along with your villa’s address, directions to the villa, the details of your villa management company, and the door code that you’ll need to access the property. If you have an issue with directions or any other problems during your stay, get in touch with the home’s management company whose details are found in this pack. They will be able to help you and solve any issues.

Travel Insurance

Wherever you’re headed on vacation, our advice is simple: make sure you have a comprehensive travel insurance policy that covers you in the event of theft, injury or loss. Ensure the policy includes cancellation cover during natural disasters, especially if you’re traveling to Florida or the Caribbean during hurricane season. We recommend printing off a paper copy of your travel insurance documents, just in case you lose access to your emails with the policy cover information.

Driving license

If you’re planning to hire a car, make sure you bring your driving license with you. You’ll need it to rent the car initially and it can also be handy as a form of ID when paying for drinks. Also, be aware of which side of the road you should be driving on – in the USA, it’s the right-hand side of the road, for example, while in Barbados they drive on the left.

Passport

It sounds obvious but if you’re traveling overseas then you’ll need to make sure you bring your passport with you. Check the expiry date on your passport and make sure that you have at least six months of validity remaining on the passport after the last day of your holiday.

Visa

Depending on where you’re traveling to and which kind of passport you hold, you may need a visa. Check the rules before booking and allow plenty of time – applying for visas can be a long and involved process.

Medical supplies

If you’re on medication, make sure you pack the drugs and supplies you need in your carry-on luggage. Consider wearing a medical alert bracelet with information about your condition, if appropriate.

Adapters and chargers

Remember that when traveling to a new country, adapters may be required for your electrical devices. There are currently 15 types of plugs used worldwide, so make sure you check which one you’ll need before setting off.

Toiletries

In our villa rentals, basic toiletries such as hand soap are provided as standard, but items such as shower gel, shampoo and toothpaste are not. We’d recommend bringing your own toiletries from home, if only to make sure you have all of the essentials you need when you arrive.

Things to arrange before you leave

Vaccines

You should start thinking about travel health about 6–8 weeks before you leave home. If you’re not sure which vaccines you might need for your trip, speak to your doctor or staff at a specialist travel clinic before leaving.

Airport transfers

Once flights are sorted, the next step is arranging how to get to your villa. Whether you’d like a private car or a rental vehicle to meet you at the airport, our concierge team will be more than happy to arrange this.

Shuttles to attractions

Depending on where you’re traveling to, it may be useful to arrange transport to local attractions in advance. In Orlando, for example, Encore Resort at Reunion offers a free shuttle directly to the theme parks. At other resorts, taxis offer discounted rates for journeys to each of Orlando’s best attractions. The best advice is to check before you travel.

Car hire

If you’d prefer to have your own transport instead of relying on shuttles, public transport or taxis, there’s the option of a rental car. Whether that’s a family car or an SUV, we can take care of everything. Speak to our concierge team for more details.

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