How soon do you start packing before a holiday?

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Just curious and feeling a little smug that I've done 90% of my packing a week before going away

Got a case out of the loft a couple of weeks ago and have been doing a slow pack since. It seems to have worked better than the usual pack 2 days before going away.

My packing and pre-holiday stocking-up tend to blend together - I like to go through our holiday stuff (stored in the cases) a few weeks before and check that we have everything we need - if there's anything we need to buy (mostly suncream or stuff DS has grown out of!) I'll throw it in as we buy it. Similarly I'll quite often find something we need to pack somewhere round the house and add that in. A few days before we go I check through the laundry pile and make sure that everything we want to take gets washed in time. With all that done, I then empty the cases out the day before and can really quickly pack what we need.

The night before, or the day of. But I'm a stickler for lists and the tick everything off as I pack it.

Depends where I'm going - in the past when we went to Aus to see family I would start a couple of weeks before because I'd mostly be taking different clothes to the ones in use. For a summer holiday where the climate is similar to home and I'll be wearing mostly the same clothes as usual, I'll start sorting things like meds and toiletries a week before, and make a conscious decision to stop wearing the clothes I'll be taking so I can wash them. Am lucky to have the space to leave a case out.

For self catering I'll start a bag or two of household things during the week before, so we don't have to rush around buying loo roll on the day we arrive.

I always have lists and absolutely hate packing!

@Lastqueenofscotland

The night before or morning before!… I DETEST packing and leave it as late as possible

This - I went to boarding school so the trauma is real.

I am going away beginning of June...
I have a "holiday box" that is slowly filling up with stuff to take!
I also have a list of clothes I will be taking.

But, in all honesty, it depends on the type of holiday. Solo hiking & camping = weeks & months in advance to make sure all gear is available & in good condition.

Other holidays 7- 10 days, to ensure all clothes are clean and ready.

I write a list about a week before and start gathering things a bit at a time. One day I find all the shoes for whole family, the next day swimwear, etc. I store things like toiletries, shoes, electrical bits, etc, on the shelf in the top of my wardrobe and put hanging clothes to one side of wardrobe. I don’t see the point of actually packing and everything getting creased. Plus I know I’ll either need something or convince myself I haven’t packed something and go rummaging.

The day before I tick everything off into the suitcase.

About a week before. I then usually take it all out and repack the day before!!!

The day of the holiday usually or the night before if we’re setting off early doors.
All my washing is kept up to date always, I don’t buy specific ‘holiday clothes’ from one year to the next, I just own stuff so no need to be faffing in advance, just get out the seasonally appropriate stuff and shove it in suitcase with some shoes.
Quick whip-round for Chargers and adaptors, toiletries we usually buy when we get to the airport or at the destination other than a select few items of skincare I wouldn’t be without, no makeup, don’t bother with my hair when on holiday, job done. I’m incredibly low maintenance on holiday. No one takes any regular medication, I might throw in a bottle of calpol just in case for ds but it’s not something I’d be twisting myself in knots about in the run up to the holiday.
I know where all my stuff is, I don’t need time to find anything, it’s all where it should be. The dc pack for themselves, dh chucks his stuff in the other side of my case.

I have a “holiday rail” it lives in our (strangely enormous) airing cupboard and gets wheeled out into the bedroom with great ceremony about a week before we go! I can then get all my holiday stuff washed/ironed then review outfits etc, before putting it all in my case the night before. Foreign adapters/sunscreen etc live in the suitcases permanently, so are already packed before we start.

3-4 weeks before. I write a list and start adding a few bits here and there. Don’t actually finish though until the day before

@Buildingthefuture

I have a “holiday rail” it lives in our (strangely enormous) airing cupboard and gets wheeled out into the bedroom with great ceremony about a week before we go! I can then get all my holiday stuff washed/ironed then review outfits etc, before putting it all in my case the night before. Foreign adapters/sunscreen etc live in the suitcases permanently, so are already packed before we start.

So I presume you only go on beach holidays or something? Otherwise you wouldn't have clothes that only get worn on holiday...

I thought it was an empty rail that comes out of the massive airing cupboard.

I’m going away tomorrow....been at my mums all weekend ...just got home....having a brew then am going to start packing ....not great though as I’m tired and will likely forget something🙄

Clothes- day before. Toiletries probably start gathering a few days beforehand.

I do however keep a special bag with everything I've ever forgotten but needed in the past stacked and ready to go which cuts down a lot of thinking time.

For a morning flight the night before
For an evening flight the morning of departure.

Don't know how people pack a week in advance. All my toiletries, hair dryer, shoes, straighteners, make up etc gets used daily. And clothes would need to be washed and ironed.

DH always books flights that mean we have to get up between two and three in the morning, so cases are packed the night before. I have a holiday list that documents all the things we need to take like passports, documentation etc but I have amended it over the years, so it no longer includes nappies but now includes my nasal spray. It sounds crazy to list everything like that but I would forget something if I didn't and it makes me feel more confident that I have got everything.

The list mentions DS's clothes but not DH's or mine, that would be daft. One year DH packed very last minute and forgot to include underwear, so he was handwashing his grundies in the sink daily we have never let him forget this. We did try to buy some more but all the shops we tried, they looked blankly at us. Clearly men all go commando in Rethimno...

My list also has reminders (on page 2 ) about damage to cases and where we've stored items until next time, or how much sunscreen is left. This is because I'm very scatty and would never remember.

If you pack too early things get creased too

A week before I write out my list of what I'll be taking (clothes, toiletries, makeup, passport, pool float, etc), and check if I need to do any washing/do the washing.

I usually pack the case and my travel handbag the afternoon before I go; I use packing cubes and tick off my list as I go. I have it down pat now, takes maximum of an hour.

Bags then go near the front door, the only items needing to be packed the next day is my iPhone, kindle, and makeup/skincare bag.

I pack the day before but I usually get everything ready about a week beforehand just to make sure it's cleaned and ironed.

The day before.