What are your little holiday "traditions"?

[CarolDanvers]

Those little things you do that wouldn't really excite anyone else but you make you happy and enhance your holiday? I like going to a supermarket as soon as possible after arrival and buying shampoo, conditioner, shower gel and body lotion in a scents or brands not available in the U.K. Then we use it all holiday and if I like it I buy some more to take home and then whenever I use it it takes me back to being on that holiday 😊

We used to save a couple of tins of Quality Street or Roses from Christmas and smuggle them into the car. On rainy days (and we normally holidayed in Scotland so it rained often), we’d announce a holiday PJ day and stay indoors watching Buffy DVDs and eating chocolates. DH and youngest son had a special dance they did to the theme tune - just happy memories now.

We always buy something for our Christmas tree. It’s lovely each December unpacking memories of places we’ve been.

If we go to Majorca it’s not a holiday until
We see the Bimbo bread van.

We always get a fridge magnet

If we're flying we always have breakfast in the airport pub

When we go on UK holidays I always make a bolognese to take with us for our first tea! We're off to butlins on Monday so I need to make it this weekend!

No wi-fi..none of us.
And we always have a 'shit shirt' night...the gawdier the better!!

We always buy a fridge magnet & send postcards.

My dm always sends postcards to my dc & has done since they were born. They've each got a folder full of them now as dm goes on lots of holidays. They're so lovely with all the unusual stamps & sweet messages.

In the old days (15+ years ago) DH & I used to buy a new mug each as when we stayed in caravans they only had tiny cups. These days everywhere has mugs so that tradition died out

full English/Scottish/welsh breakfast over looking the sea, with a newspaper and at least 5 cups of tea.

Yy to fridge magnet and tea spoon.

We always take UNO and cards with us to wind down in the evening.

At the end of the holiday we go to a supermarket to see what lovely —wine— things we can bring back. Inevitably cheese may be on the list.

I always get a tree decoration too! I also like to buy a souvenir tea towel!

DH always buys new underpants just before a holiday. It’s like a compulsion. His mum always bought his new pants and socks before holidays when he was a kid and he just can’t leave the country without new undercrackers.

The Poundland junk food run! A week before holiday I go to Poundland with 20/30 quid and buy loads of fruitshoots, sweets, crisps etc. Then put together the infamous 'Sweetie Bag'

The kids are allowed to ask for something from the sweetie bag whenever they want when we're on holiday and it's just brilliant. Seeing their little faces when they realize they can have what they want when they want. Normally we're quite strict about treat portions, so they love the freedom.

If going on holiday in the UK we always have a breakfast pitstop at a local American style dinner. We fill up on pancakes with bacon and maple syrup and old fashioned coke floats and coffee. It nicely sets us up for the seven hour drive to Cornwall.

Always make the beds up with fresh linen and clean the bathrooms before going on holiday so the house feels welcoming to come back to.

Usually try and arrange some sort of treat like theatre tickets or night in a nice hotel the weekend after we get back so don't get post holiday blues

Back in the days of audio cassette tapes, any holiday that included driving, we would make mixed tapes and play them in the car. Whenever I hear music from those tapes, it always takes me back to particular holidays.

I like to take a day or two off work before a holiday so that you can revel in the anticipation and take joy in the prep and packing.

Another tradition that I learnt from the Kardashians is on the last evening to ask everyone what their highlight and lowlight of the holiday was. The lowlight one I feel helps to make peace with the time someone puked on your lap in the car, for example.

It's always stuck with me and also I've found that when friends/colleagues come back from holidays asking that question gets some really lovely and interesting answers.

If in the UK we always try to have breakfast at Giraffe on our way. We always buy a fridge magnet. And we must always go to the beach, even if it's pouring with rain and we're in our waterproofs.

When we were young we went to Spain a lot. My parents would always buy Fanta Lemon. It was the holiday drink. They totally ruined it by bringing it out here in the UK, now it’s just not special anymore.

My Mum would always get my Brother and I the multipacks of cereal when we went away in the caravan. My brother and I would argue over who got the Snaps. We would never have them at home, only the caravan!

Dh always has pizza when we get home I sometimes do but not exclusively and we always have a Chinese night before we go.
Week before is random meals to use the fridge stuff up

Oh yes Fanta lemon when it was only an holiday drink was so much nicer

Similar to the holiday box we have a 'camping box' with all the little useful things like sugar and sauce sachets, head torches, cards, travel connect 4, glow sticks, mystic fire, solar fairy lights, Bailey's (milk substitute as there's no fridge).

We have the same tradition as youv@Elliemayclampett

We always have our favourite Chinese takeaway the night we get back from holiday. Means we don’t have to cook when we get home and gives us one last little thing to look forward to. The thought of salt and chilli wings especially helps us through long haul flights home!

We've always had a 'holiday box' but it's got smaller now we have adult dc. It's now more of a 'holiday tupperware box' with sachets of ketchup, mustard, vinegar, mayo, brown sauce, and packets of salt and pepper and brown sugar. We collect them for months beforehand - every time we go to a cafe, we'll take one or two.

Saves taking bottles and jars of the stuff with you if you're self-catering., and handy to keep in the car if you are out and about having impromptu picnics etc.

Love the holiday box idea!
We always have a posh meal out on the last night of the holiday.
When the DC were small we used to go s/c to the same place every year and the only supermarket was Asda. So Asda food always = holidays for me!

Dh cues up "Holiday Road" on the iPod as we drive away.

I always used to Make a playlist and last week my now teenage children both remembered it when a certain song came on the radio.
Clean loo and beds before we go and also the washing and ironing basket both have to be empty