What’s the most random thing you are packing in your suitcase for holidays?

[Bluebal]

I will start, we are about to go on a fly cruise, just packing the cases and for my toddler I am packing a straight vegetable peeler. He likes apples a lot, but doesn’t like the skin so we have to peel it off.
I figured they will most likely have apples on the buffet on board but it feels like a faff to find someone and ask them to peel it for him therefore I have brought a new peeler to pack in his case this morning.

Asked DP to guess what the most random thing we are packing to take with us was and he guessed potatoes close but no 😂

Can anyone beat a peeler?

If you take a smoke alarm do you just place on a shelf?

A bag of oat milk powder.

I generally go on holidays in my van, so I can take a fair few home comforts.
I always take a teapot and interesting spooky plastic goblets, bought from
Poundland or similar at Halloween because drinking wine from a mug just isn't right.
I have some fake fur throws in case I get chilly, an incense burner and a fishbowl full of light up battery eyeballs.

@Sunshineandrainbow if possible I’ll stick the smoke detector to the ceiling or high up on the wall using a command strip

If I’m only going to be somewhere for a night, I’ll try and get it up as high as possible on a shelf or on top of a wardrobe etc.

I know it’s not perfect but to me it feels better than nothing.

The CO detectors I will usually place one around the bed somewhere, one in the kitchen and one near any gas fire etc.

It’s one of my areas of anxiety definitely! I’m similar at home with my detectors to be fair. I was an impressionable age when that horribly tragic story with the family in Corfu happened.

This is GENIUS! Adopting immediately.

When mine when young and we were in cheap caravan holidays I used to take lots of big safety pins to attach random spare blankets, towels etc to improvise black outs as none of them could sleep past 5 am with thin curtains.
Youngest was a restricted eater til he was 19 so always took his 7 permitted acceptable food items overseas in case we couldn’t get the identical versions.
My husband always adds a torch to our packing these days - wherever we are going. We nearly always need it at some point and have the same conversation “ why are you bringing a torch?”
and “ good job you brought the torch”

Love the soap shavings idea.

Loving this thread, it's giving me even more ideas of random but useful things to take on holiday - my husband is going to love me!

Another thing I take on UK holidays is a clothes horse for hanging up wetsuits, swimwear and beach towels.

@user1471453601 · Yesterday 19:46
The most random things I ever packed were two cat feeders cages, chip activated. I've also packed seven packs of fixodent, a number of warming blankets (the kind that marathon users are swathed in) and a large number of energy bars
what were the 7 packs of fixodent for?

@eatdrinkandbemerry · Yesterday 20:20
A plastic rolling pin (that looks like a giant sex toy when it goes through the scanner 😩)
My autistic son won't sleep without pinpin on his bedside cabinet at home or away

I think you win !

My husband always adds a torch to our packing these days - wherever we are going.

Isn't taking a torch normal? (Maybe a bit less so now phones can serve as such)

We always take Heinz salad cream, and a jar of Colman’s English mustard too. Thought it was just us 😂

Fluorescent pink head and wrist bands for the 80s workout.
The chances of me actually going on to a workout class on holiday (or when I'm not on holiday) are very slim, but I'm pretending I might want to go. Must pack a sports bra too....

For us, sauces we like, bottle opener/corkscrew, scissors, pegs, sandwich bags, black bags for dirty clothes, if DS2 is travelling with us carbon monoxide detector, neck care pillow.

Plasters work too, put the middle padded bit over the light. Plus handy to have for their actual use!

I always pack a bag of gluten free pasta

DD1 is coeliac and gluten free can be a bit hit and miss sometimes so I like to have it as back up just in case.

Some countries are amazing for GF and we’ve had no issues whatsoever, but others we’ve struggled with.

@rileynexttime they were for a local woman who couldn't get the particular type where they were.

The soap shavings is a genius idea! Thank you @elQuintoConyo

I take a roll of cling film to wrap my liquid toiletries in after an incident with micellar water.....

We stayed somewhere in Greece earlier this year and I have never seen so many feral cats. One was pregnant and clearly starving. One of the guests bought cat food from the local shop and fed them quietly in the hotel . I thought that was a great idea. Much better than dropping food on the floor which probably isn’t good for them. it’s really heartbreaking to see how ill frightened and starved they are.

@Simonjt - can I have your roti recipe please?!!!!

Colostomy stuff - bags, wipes, removal spray!

We spread it through our carry on bags ( hold bag has clothes) as it's easier to buy new knickers than it is getting stoma bags.

Last year I was so focussed on DHs stoma stuff I forgot my 9 lots of medication ( heart stuff some of it so very important) - luckily we were away in the caravan so after we had pitched up we drove home!

Thats not random, that’s on the essentials list surely.

My random item is a ball of string. Used it for makeshift washing lines, tying patio doors shut when I don’t trust the locks, tying towels to sun beds in the wind, and bag handles to sunbed legs for security, tying on luggage tags when they’ve snapped, all sorts of useful stuff.

If we’re going S/C I always take a peeler and a favourite knife. And a loo roll, ever since arriving at a rental with 2 loos and not a single sheet of paper in either. When I was bursting. 🤬

About 250g of atta flour to about 170ml water, you can add a bit of salt for seasoning if you want. Cook them for longer than you think or the inside will be raw.

I can understand the peeler.

We just got back from 12 days in Greece. DH packed his water pick.

https://www.waterpik.co.uk/

Pin in the effing arse this was.

On the way back he packed 4 x 1 litre bottles of metaxa.

He doesn't drink. At all. I don;t drink metaxa.

I've given up asking why tbh after 20 years with him.