The worry potential for stress junkies is endless. Not only can you fret about whether your summer gear will fit over your winter flab, there's also passports, money and travel insurance to sort out, and the problem of finding someone to look after your pet and the house.

Nearer to the big day, you could fret over travelling to the airport, getting a good seat on the plane next to whoever's going with you - and that's before you start worrying about what the hotel will be like and whether your view will consist of a 24-hour construction site next door. It's no wonder that so many people fly off to the sun in full-on stress mode.

But it doesn't have to be that way. With a bit of planning and organisation, you can set off knowing that all the bases are covered.

Ways to stay calm
Unless you're a Zen master, stress will creep up on you - the road to the airport will be busy, the plane will be crowded, people will be rude and delays will happen. Accept that this is all beyond your control and stay calm.

Keep expectations on a realistic level - you've been planning your holiday for weeks or even months and feel duty-bound to have a fantastic break, but the higher your hopes, the further the fall when little things go wrong.

Plan ahead
Preparation, then more preparation is the key. It's old advice, but leaving holiday preparations to the last minute is guaranteed to raise anxiety levels to panic point. Make a list of what you have to do before you leave on your travels and also what you want to take with you, so you don't worry about what you may have forgotten and help keep your travel plans on track.

Checking-in in advance
Ask your airline if you can check-in online. BA, Singapore Airlines, KLM and Virgin Atlantic allow you to do so a day before departure. You can choose your seat on the website and, in some cases, print your own boarding card.

Charter airlines and budget flights tend to take off at anti-social hours. Some airlines, such as First Choice, Monarch Airlines and Virgin Atlantic, allow you to check-in the day before in person - helpful for early-morning flights.

If you're flying with BA or BMI, use the self-service check-in facility - it's great for easing your way through the airport and gets the thumbs-up from all who have used it.

At your service
It might be worth coughing up for the convenience of valet parking. 'Meet and greet' services (where a driver meets you at the airport terminal, whisks away the car and has it ready on your return) can be surprisingly good value.

Early departures
Losing a night's sleep or dosing down in the terminal is not a promising way to start your holiday. Take some of the sting out of early-morning departures (particularly if you're driving to the airport anyway) with a stay-and-park deal that combines a night in an airport hotel with parking.

Although it's pricey, you can walk into the terminal from the most conveniently located hotels. Better deals are likely with an off-airport hotel, but check how far it is from the terminal and ask about the frequency of shuttles.

Lounging around
Join the jet-set execs in a pay-to-enter lounge - they aren't only for club-class travellers. With admittance starting at around £17 per adult, they offer a more relaxed atmosphere than the overcrowded madhouse outside. And think what you normally spend on drinks, snacks, newspapers and magazines at the airport - these are all free in the lounges.

Protecting your home
Fretting over the security of your house can blight your hols. The obvious choice is to ask family or friends to keep an eye on things. If that's not possible to arrange, professional agencies can provide reliable, trustworthy house-sitters. Some agencies employ the sitters directly, others act as an introduction service.

When you add up typical costs - a setting-up fee of £30, daily charge of around £30 plus another quid or two for each pet, and a £6 per day subsistence allowance for your minder - it's a pricey way to go, but should provide peace of mind (and save on kennel fees).

Fear of flying
For one in 10 people the sky really is the limit - there's no way you'll get them up in one of those things. In the modern world, though, where jumping on a budget flight for a weekend break has become commonplace, fear of flying is no joke. And for every one of the hard-core refusers who are just too scared to fly, many more suffer in silence, knuckles white with tension as they endure yet another flight for work or holiday, the whole build-up ruined by the stress of aerophobia.

It's no use telling them to get a grip, quoting the latest airline safety statistics, or saying that flying is about 30 times safer than the drive to the airport. And it's no good in the long-term for sufferers to self-medicate by taking tranquillisers or knocking it back at the airport bar: the fear is real and needs to be dealt with.

So what are anxious flyers scared of? A common refrain is, "I'm not scared of flying, it's crashing that gets me". It's all to do with a loss of control: you're in someone else's hands, something might go wrong with the plane, there are noises and scary motions of turbulence.

Then there's the fear of losing control of yourself - what if I've a panic attack and faint?' Sound familiar? The sources of the fear are different for everyone, but you can learn how to deal with it with professional help. Therapists arrange courses on an individual basis or with groups of up to four people.

Essentials travel tips

When you book

• This is the time to pre-book seats together and sort out extra leg room if required.
• In the era of the 'unwrapped' package, check what is and is not included and arrange in-flight meals and transfers.
• Arrange travel insurance - but don't buy an overpriced policy from a travel agent; if you have an annual policy, check it's valid.
• Find out whether you need visas, and if you do, leave plenty of time to arrange them.

Two months before you go

• See your GP or travel clinic to find out about necessary jabs and tablets.
• If travelling to Europe, make sure you've got the new European Health Insurance Card (EHIC), which replaced the E111 on 1 January 2006 .
• Make sure your passport's up to date; some countries require it to remain valid for six months beyond the date of entry.

A fortnight before you go

• Contact your mobile phone provider to make sure your phone will work abroad.
• If you're heading somewhere unfamiliar, buy a guidebook and read up on local etiquette and cultural quirks.
• Put home-security plans in place. Cancel regular deliveries, use timer switches on lights, and arrange for someone to collect mail if you can. Tell family, friends and trusted neighbours that you'll be away.

A week before you go

• Start packing. Being at work one day and on the plane the next doesn't mean you have to throw everything in at the last minute - pack what you can in stages before you go.
• Exchange currency - make sure you've enough local money to get by on arrival.
• If you've bills to pay, do so now.
• Pack a basic first-aid kit.

The last 24 hours

• Make sure you have the following in your hand luggage: passports, tickets, holiday documentation, insurance policy with 24hr emergency contact numbers, cash and credit cards, and medicines.
• Water your plants.
• Clear the fridge of items that will go off and put the rubbish out.
• Plan your route to the airport, allowing plenty of time.
• Check last-minute weather and traffic reports, particularly if you're travelling in peak season. The earlier you check-in, the better your choice of seats - it's much nicer to sit calmly in the departure lounge with a good book than to dissolve into a frenzy stuck in heavy traffic, counting down the minutes until your flight leaves.

At the airport

• A drink in the bar to toast the start of your holiday is not a bad idea, but take it easy with booze, tea and coffee, which are a good remedy neither for pre-flight nerves, nor for resting on the plane if you feel like it.

We hope that this is a nice start before planning your next travel online. To help you carry on with your research, we have selected a few websites that specialise in travel, flights and holidays. Click on the links of your choice on the right hand side of the screen. There you will find a wide range of travel bargains and offers available, and hopefully the deal that you’re looking for.

Enjoy your next travel experience,