Summer finally seems to have arrived, and that means the mass migrations to caravan and camping sites up and down the country. But little mistakes can make cheaper holidays a lot more expensive.

You might read some of the advice below and think it blatantly obvious. However, getting away can be stressful and if we don’t take those few extra minutes to check certain things before we set off, our holidays and weekend breaks, may not begin well.

So, do you take your spare car key on holiday? Full marks if you do. It can be kept in the caravan or hidden in the tent, or carried by your better half. When you leave your spare 400 miles away at home what happens if you lose your car key paddling in the sea or walking in the dunes? Or you might just lock it in the boot while packing everything away leaving you locked out of your own vehicle (glove compartments are not a good place to keep spare keys). Do you really want to wait for the auto locksmith to arrive, decode your locks, produce a key that will possibly make the spare at home useless, and charge you a day’s budget for the privilege? And while you tuck that spare key somewhere safe, please check, double check and triple check you have the key to your top box. Not all locksmiths are properly trained and if you get one who drills out the lock because you are desperate to unpack all the most important stuff you placed in the top box, you might have to spend part of your holiday and budget sourcing a new top box or at least loads of gaffer tape to keep it all secure on the way home. (The other common result is frostiness from your significant other because the whole thing could be avoided.) Long before you go away, create a checklist of things to remember and no matter how much you want to beat that traffic jam on the way to your destination, always take the time to go through the checklist that will have spare car key and top box keys as something to take with you.

Hiring a motor home? Some reps may tell you that you can’t get locked out – when in fact you can, especially if you do not latch them properly. I have already been out twice this year to hired motor homes where the couple has stepped outside for a cigarette, allowed the door close, and found themselves locked out in their pyjamas. Take your key out in your pocket just in case, especially if you are new to motorhomes or it is a different vehicle to the one you are used to.

Maybe you are the proud owner of a static caravan? One that has a lift handle mechanism. When did you last have the mechanism serviced? When static caravans are near the sea, the salt can corrode all sorts of bits that you can’t see. And if water pools anywhere, rust will set in and at some point, the mechanism will seize. If you only use the caravan for personal use, then this is just an expensive inconvenience to have fixed, but if you hire out your caravan and your customers get locked out, not only have you the cost of the repair, but you might have to refund all or part of the customer’s fee by way of compensation. I see a lot of caravans in my job, and the state of the door mechanisms can be shocking. It can all be avoided with a little maintenance. If this is something you can do yourself, all well and good, but as no one ever instructs people on how to maintain these doors, you might find it cost effective to have a locksmith do the maintenance for you. For example, I charge £35 to do lock maintenance and this should be done twice a year. It is a lot easier to find £35 than to potentially have a bill for £250 plus reimbursing guests who might still go on to give you bad reviews on trip advisor. This maintenance contract extends to holiday home lets as well. If you are reading this outside of Norfolk, you might want to contact your local locksmith to see if he or she offers a similar service. When you employ a professional, you get the added bonus of someone who will adjust doors that have dropped and notice other problems you miss. Only today, I showed a customer daylight through the top of his door where it had dropped, a problem that has been making all the moving parts grind and has led to a replacement mechanism being needed, further compounded by the mechanism now being obsolete and the replacement not lining up with the existing fittings. All that could have been avoided if he had had the door maintained by someone who would have noticed the door dropping and rectified with nothing more than an Allen key and a little knowledge.

Have a great holiday and remember those spare keys!

If you require any more information regarding the above, please feel free to contact me through any of the methods on my contacts page.

Thanks for reading!