Help - I've forgotten how to holiday!

[Kammer1]

We're going away for a short break at the weekend. Eurostar to Brussels and then onwards to Antwerp. Air BnB. DH, me and our DS 17 and DS19.

Other than trips to stay with family we have not been away together since before the pandemic. In fact, even in 2019 we didn't holiday together properly, so last holiday (as in new place, accommodation, transport, currency, passports etc) was 2018. So much has changed since then.

As a result I am really, really anxious. Not about any one thing in particular, but just all of it. Bit overwhelmed. I traditionally get bad-tempered before a holiday as there always seems so much to do, and I'm always the chief organiser. But it's a bit more than just Mum-stress.

I asked DH today if he was looking forward to it (I haven't mentioned my anxiety) and he said not really. FFS. He's a miserable bastard. Youngest DS is very excited to be going away (bless him) and - in his own way - I suspect older son is quite happy too. Youngest has ADHD and is lovely but quite scatty and forgetful. Older one has ASD and has suffered terribly with MH issues. He's very much better now (on a gap year and due to go to Uni in September) but can still be quite difficult company sometimes and doesn't hesitate to pick fights.

The kids have done quite a lot of stuff over the past few summers: mainly organised trips with friends and youth groups. So they haven't been deprived. But we're all desperately out of practice with the family stuff.

Send me some positive vibes plus tips re. packing and travelling by Eurostar. We'll probably spend first day in Antwerp, second day on a day trip to Ghent and then 3rd day we'll spend in Brussels before getting our train.

The trip sounds fantastic. It will be a gorgeous few days! A change is as good as a test, is a cliche but it’s true.

Could you and your sons go together? As they are older, it wouldn’t be the extra workload it was before. Leave grumps at home? Everyone’s happier?

Also heading to Belgium this weekend OP! You'll have a fab time. We're not going to Antwerp this time but I love it there. We're staying outside Brussels and will probably do a day trip to Ghent.

I would say don't stress too much - so long as you have passports and cards you can't go too far wrong. Enjoy!

I haven't done Antwerp or Brussels (yet) but love Gent. I would say you could probably see quite a bit of it in a day. The city centre has a car free zone, so factor that into how you'll get from the train station to the main sights (in case taxis are restricted - not sure).

Gravensteen Castle was good - the art is a bit different to what you usually see in English castles! Also found Graffiti Street quite interesting.

The streets are cobbled so I'd recommend sturdy footwear - one of our group wore soft soled shoes and regretted it!

We went to Belgium a couple of years ago and it was a brilliant holiday. We went to Bruges, Waterloo (for DH) and Brussels. I went to Antwerp and Ghent years ago as a student.

There is a lot to see and do and the towns are incredibly pretty. Plus there is a lot of really good beer.

I plan everything to within an inch of my life but my trick is always to have enough down time. A couple of hours back at the apartment or hotel either over lunch or mid afternoon. It stops everyone getting over tired and grumpy.

You will have a great time.

Thank you for your support. I've made a list and some notes. Worked out what time we need to be at St Pancras. Been in touch with the Air Bnb hosts. Feeling positive and excited now.

Bought a guide book and map. I'm very old school.

Will write a basic schedule today for the family. And instructions on what to pack as I'm not doing it for them. DS2 will get distracted and forget things. Ds1 will procrastinate and then obsess over which socks go with which shirt. DH can't fold things and will just shove it untidly into a bag. I will have to take deep breaths and not lose my shit.

Will pop out one lunchtime to get Euros.

Plan to pick up a picnic tea from M&S at St Pancras. Host will leave details of where to go for shopping/ breakfast in the morning. Hoping we'll get to Antwerp before the frites stands close!

DS1 is slow to get going in the mornings so I plan that one of us plus DS2 can pop out for a walk/ shopping/ coffee while the other stays at the flat. Then swap so the other parent can go out.

I think DH will probably be ok once he's there. He fusses about leaving his seedlings in the greenhouse etc. No wonder it's an effort to get them to go anywhere!

It will be fine OP. That's a nice, short, easy trip to ease you back into travel and Antwerp is a lovely city - very pretty and Belgian food is yummy and familiar.

Get your passports, boarding passes, euros and GHIC cards and put them in a folder or travel wallet, look at the weather forecast so you know what to pack, make sure you travel in comfortable clothes and shoes, and that everyone has a small, wheely case. Then create a packing list in Word and print a copy off for yourself and the boys and tell them that packing their own belongings is their responsibility.

Oh and don't forget travel insurance!

Have you got ghic cards? You can register for them now which gives you a number to use even if you won't have the card in time. Easy to do if you have your NHS number.

Make sure you've got travel plugs(you can get ones that have usb/c slots on them) and extra charging cables.

Have a fab time.

I studied and lived in Ghent for 15 years,, lived near Brussels for 7 years and have now been in Antwerp for 20 years. If you want any tips, just ask! Whereabout in Antwerp will you be? I can give you tips for a good frietkot (Flemish word for friterie), nice bars and restaurants

St Pancras can get really busy and there aren't a lot of places to sit and wait once you're through security - if you have an Amex card you can go in the lounge which is much nicer, plus free snacks and magazines

Hello

Yes, got EHIC and travel insurance. Will print off tickets as well as giving them to everyone electronically.

EHICs valid until 2025 so i was assuming OK even if supplanted by GHIC. eeek - hope I'm right!

Plug adapters - yes! Gottem.

No Amex unfortunately - what time would you recommend going through security?

I can't see anything about banned substances / liquids so presumably no restrictions like with flying.

@Onelankwen - thanks for your post! We're in the Groen Kwartier. Nearest tram stop appears to be Lamorinierestraat. And nearest station Berchem. I've seen that some (all?) Trains from Brussels stop there so I guess that is where we should get off.

Food wise we'll be happy with something from the frietkot (new word for me)/ eat at home / find local bakery etc rather than restaurants. Saving our money for beer / bars / cafes / waffles! Recommendations welcome!

The boys are really into jazz so bars with live jazz would be amazing. As DH is likely to want to go to bed early, I suspect it'll be me and the boys in the bars!

Daytime, we will just wander. The kids are resistant to museums and churches (,my passion) but are generally interested in waking around and admiring the architecture. River walk. Boat trip?? Parks? Nobody is keen on shopping but window shopping in nice streets could be good.

Make sure you do some of the things that you want to do. If they don't want to go into museums, churches and shopping, that doesn't mean that you can't do that yourself.

If it was me, I'd go out for a couple of hours each morning while they're all faffing over what socks to wear. I wouldn't be telling them what to pack either. As long as everyone has their passports then they can make do as far as everything else is concerned. It's only 3 days. Have a great trip.

Also make notes about what went well/what you needed but forgot etc and use them as the start of master lists. Once you've done this a few times, getting ready for a holiday is a breeze because you just open your list and work through it, nothing is a surprise and nothing gets forgotten because it's all on the list.

First of all: don't forget that shops are closed on Sundays!

All trains from Brussels and Ghent also stop in Berchem.
I wouldn't bother with trams in Antwerp. Just get a daypass for Velo. You can find Velostands at nearly every corner and they are very convenient. You can buy the pass at any velostand, just read the instructions. Antwerp is very much a cycling city.

If your sons like architecture than you definitely should walk through the Cogels-Osylei, the most beautiful street of Antwerp and right next to Berchem station.

Zurenborg: go to the Draakplaats or the Dageraadplaats. There are many bars and restaurants. My favourite ones are Bellini for pizza, Picci for pasta, Humm for vegan breakfasts and lunches, Byzanaat for Arabian food, Het Strand van Oostende for anything from burgers to classic Flemish foods, café 't Zeezicht, a very popular pub.

I live in Borgerhout, a very multicultural neighborhood, that's getting more and more popular. The area is being nicknamed Boho and has a more artistic vibe. Places to be are: Clo (vegan lunches) in the Kroonstraat (between Zurenborg and the centre of Borgerhout), Bar Lucca (small sharing plates) and Mombasa (a bar dedicated to cycling) at the Moorkensplein, Bakeliet (vintage bar with live music) at Laar, and Frituur Tina (voted to be the best frietkot in Flanders this year), Bar Leon and Borgo Gelato. These last 3 are situated at the Krugerplein.
Another nice place is Bar Chapel , a pop-up bar in the garden of an old monastery in Kerkstraat.

All of these places are not in the centre of the city, but they are very popular.

For jazz: café De Muze in de Melkmarkt and Den Hopsack in the Grote Pieter Potstraat. These are in the centre of the city. If you go to the centre you have to visit the Carolus Borromeuschurch. It's the most beautiful church in Antwerp and it's on the most beautiful square in Antwerp. Right around the corner is the Wolstraat with antiques shops. Also nearby is restaurant Barboeuf, which has typical Flemish food and really nice steaks (even horsesteaks if you dare, they are actually really really nice, but I guess most English people are abhorred by the idea)
Another must-see in the city centre is the UNESCO World Heritage Site Platijn-Moretusmuseum. It's an intact printshop owned by one of the first European printers. It's absolutely stunning! One of my favourite places to visit.

Another nice area is the Zuid, with is a bit more expensive. There are a lot of fashionshops and the new KMSKA-artmuseum, which is really worth a visit. They also have a brand new park (it opened last weekend). Lots of bars and restaurants along the Waalse and Vlaamse kaai.
And maybe your sons might be interested in the voetgangerstunnel to Linkeroever. It has the oldest escalators in the world. They are art deco, made from wood and still in use. The are situated between the city centre and the Zuid.

A last neighbourhood I can recommend is the Eilandje. If you want to walk along the water, this is the place to be! You can eat along the water, visit the MAS-museum of the Red Star Linemuseum, which is dedicated to all the European emigrants who left to the US or Canada through Antwerp.

Parks: stadspark will be the nearest to you. It's also rather small.
Middelheimpark is an open air museum for sculptures. It's free!
Rivierenhof is the largest park. Go and get a drink in Bar Stark and sit in their garden.
Another popular park is Park Spoor Noord where you can take the iconic cycling/walking bridge to the Eilandje. There is also a big bar in the middle of the park where you can eat.

As you can see, there is enough to visit and do in Antwerp alone to fill 3 days. You won't have time to go to Brussels or Ghent

@Onelankwen thanks so so much for all your tips!!!

Are ALL shops closed on Sunday? Food shops too? Gosh. That's such a surprise. Frites all day then!

It does look like we might be too busy to go anywhere else, and that's fine!!!

Another question for anyone:

I'm so confused about which card(s) to use. And whether to get a whole load of Euros out and carry cash. I remember now that we used to have a pre-paid post office card for foreign trips but probably too late to sort that now.

Between us we have:
Nationwide Flex Direct visa debit
Nationwise Member Visa credit
Halifax Visa debit

What would be best?

I looked at the Nationwide advice page and there are just too many wordas and I'm flummoxed (and increasingly bad tempered). Have delegated it to my husband to investigate further but he probably won't. arrrgghhh

Any UK debit card should be fine - it's all much more integrated than it used to be. We were in Ypres last month and just used our Nationwide Flex cards to pay for everything.

Just had a look at the cards info - I believe your Nationwide Members Visa Credit has no fees for use for purchases abroad so you should use that one. The Flex debit has a 2.99% transaction fee so not terrible but better to use the one with no fees. If you get given the choice when paying, choose to pay in Euros.

I would also get a small amount of cash out in Euros before you go - maybe €100 in a mix of tens and twenties.

If you run out, you can use the Nationwide Debit or Halifax debit to withdraw cash with a 2.99% transaction fee.

If you did want a Post Office Travel Money card, you can buy them in branch and they work instantly

Definitely pay in euros if you can, it's cheaper.

@cherryassam - thank you for the tips!

For future trips, and I'm going to do this, my sister has a chase card and the app
You pre load, it's a Mastercard so accepted most places, you pay in the local currency and the app instantly tells you what you paid at the exchange rate at the time. So much so that when we were on hols it had shifted between lunch and dinner! She paid for everything but gave me an accurate cost for my share in sterling to transfer back each day, which meant no battles. I'm definitely getting one.

I love this!