Your Ultimate Guide to Shopping for Holiday Must-Haves in Newcastle
A guide to what you need - and where to get it - in Newcastle ahead of your summer holiday
With summer almost upon us, people are starting to head for the hills… or the beaches, or the lakes, or whatever else they’ve booked their summer holiday.
But holidays tend to go better when you’ve thought of everything – those little bits of shopping that make things go more smoothly - and of course Newcastle has you covered.
Holiday Clothes
Holidays are usually not cheap so saving money before you set off can only be a good thing, especially when it comes to holiday clothes. It’s easy to pull together a vacation wardrobe without breaking the bank that still looks just right for the beach or the terrace.
For example, there’s H&M in Eldon Square, which has a range of affordable fashion for men, women and kids perfect for stocking up on holiday fashion essentials.
Fellow Eldon Square store New Look offers a similarly expansive and affordable selection of beach and holiday wear, including its ‘holiday edit’ of summer style. Whether you’re shopping for yourself or your kids, New Look has everything you need at very reasonable prices.
Or, on Northumberland Street, there’s Primark, which needs no introduction when it comes to shopping on a budget and has a big Holiday Shop promotion at the moment with a wide range of swimwear and beachwear, plus everything from little summer dresses for swanning around Mediterranean villages to shorts for keeping cool when the sun is up and a big selection of accessories from sunglasses and sandals to hats.
Travel Toiletries
It doesn’t take much for a holiday to take a turn for the worst – some dodgy water, an ill-advised nap in the sun or a particularly bumpy bus trip can ruin your day. So it’s best to stock up before you go with familiar brands you know are going to sort you out.
Boots in Eldon Square is probably the nation’s favourite and they have a whole section dedicated to holidays, so whether you need some sunblock, aftersun or some insect repellent, they’ll have what you want. They even sell travel insurance too.
Superdrug on Northumberland Street has everything the intrepid holidaymaker needs too, at some very low prices, and there’s a special festival goers edit too – think antiseptic wipes, glitter and wash-in, wash-out hair colouring.
Found on Grainger Street, Savers really is a budget option and their holiday range has dozens of essentials at knock-down prices, from travel plugs to tanning wipes, inflight socks to compact toiletry packs.
Travel Games & Books
Even the best holidays will have their downtime – coach trips at night, waits in airports, or (heaven forbid!) when the rain comes and you’re stuck indoors. Even more so if you’re holidaying with kids. So why not stock up on plenty of emergency entertainment?
You can never go wrong with books, and WH Smith on Northumberland Street has plenty of those, from bodice rippers and spy thrillers to celeb biographies and true crime accounts. It also stock plenty of mini board games (Travel Scrabble, anyone?) and handy pocket foreign dictionaries and phrase books.
Blackwells on Percy Street is another excellent bookshop, perfect both for the blockbusters and for more specialist tastes - apparently some people like to read heavyweight political analysis by the pool, or graphic novels, or gory horror tomes. There’s an extensive travel section full of guidebooks, phrasebooks and even maps.
MenKind is a chain devoted to, well, men: dads, husbands, brothers, kids – and sells everything from games to beer. It’s particularly good for summer diversions, whether you’re looking for travel games like boules and rounders, a terrifying array of heavy-duty water pistols or handy gadgets like personal fans, poolside music players and even remote control drones!
Luggage
Of course you can’t set off on holiday with all your new possessions in a supermarket Bag For Life, and there’s nothing worse than the wheel coming off a heavy suitcase on the airport travelator so you might want to consider investing in some new luggage too.
TJ Hughes on Grainger Street has a great range of luggage at great prices, and plenty of luggage sets currently at up to 50% off so you could pick up a 3-piece suitcase set without breaking the bank.
Argos in Eldon Square is another good bet for all sorts of luggage, whether you’re looking for a full set of suitcases, a weekend bag or a rucksack for the more intrepid traveller!
You’ve booked the holiday, you’ve got the snazzy new luggage in which you’ve packed your sun cream, romance novel and new bikini. You’re all set. But did you leave the gas on? Have an excellent holiday!
