DS2 First Lad’s Holiday….has he remembered everything?

[MonkeyTennis34]

He’s going to Portugal with 4 mates.
He's got T-shirts, shorts, trunks.
SPF, deodorant, shower gel,
Printing out boarding passes later.
Is there anything glaringly obvious they he’s forgotten?
Lots going on at home right now so I haven’t been on the ball 100%.
Tia

grab an STI kit for when he gets back

please don’t do this. The condom suggestions are bad enough!

Imodium and condoms

Toothbrush
Pants
Swimsuit (put this in hand luggage is my advice!)
Hangover pills ie ibuprofen
Phone, charger
Passport
Credit card

Thats my priority list. Anything else is a bonus or can be bought out there 😅

Why? He’s 18 not 12.

Honestly if he’s old enough to go on holiday, he should be old enough to pack and organise himself. These are good ops to build independence.

Oh just stop with ' if he's old enough ' crap.
I'm more than older enough to do lots of things but im still willing to take advice if its my first time doing something.

I helped my son out first time he went away,after that its on him. It didnt make him useless, just pointed out things that would be helpful.

Are people so dismissive if mums help their daughters on their first trip abroad or would they tell them to get on with it and sort it out themselves.

My colleague took a days leave last week to iron and pack for her 23 year old son … he sat playing computer games whilst instructing her on what clothes he wanted.
This, however, is ridiculous!
Ds was 17 when he went abroad without me or his dad. He shared an apartment with his friend while friends parents and aunties and uncles had their apartments all next to each other. It didnt occur to me to pack for him! ( He wouldn't have let me anyway)

Oh, and per a PP

GET INSURANCE. And make sure he understands the limitations of it ie if they go off roading / hiring mopeds / throw themselves out a balcony into the pool it won't cover him for medical costs or repatriation.

See also: he needs his EHIC if he's going anywhere in Europe

As pp said, there are shops in Portugal. If he's going to a tourist resort, he will be able to buy anything he needs.

But INSURANCE.
And also as a pp said, he needs to know what is or isn't covered.

Make sure he WhatsApp you a picture of his passport and drivers license in case it gets lost.

Do a medical bag with antihistamine, pain killers, insect bite cream, plasters, dioralytes.

Orange juice, salt mixed with water is a good homemade one.

Bag for his washing!

EHIC card for sure and I also buy annual insurance including skiing trips for mine.

Toothbrush, passport, johnnies.

Thanks all.
He's got most of what you’ve mentioned.
WhatsApping passport etc is a great idea.

Ds.21 just been away for the first time similar holiday. He packed himself but ran through with.me what he needed. Beach towel , t shirts, shorts ,sliders, trainers, socks, underwear , plasters ,.paracetamol ,bite cream and repellant, adapter and charger, phone, ghic, passport, insurance documents ,cash and cards, ear plugs , wash stuff, condoms.

Lots going on at home right now so I haven’t been on the ball 100%.

You know when there are threads about useless men who who expect their wives to do everything for them and are incapable of packing their own stuff or organising themselves?

And some people say it's the way they're brought up?

And others say why do mothers always get the blame..?

This thread might hold the answers 🙄

Tickets, passport, money, and any prescription medicine. Literally everything else can be bought when you get there if necessary.

Yes, this. I mean, isn’t the whole point of a ‘lads’ holiday’ that it involves someone being left behind in the airport bar because they missed the gate coming up, and Big Gazza having to get an emergency passport after his is washed out to sea, after wearing the same underpants for a week?

How old is he op? I’m sure I will be just the same as you when my sons have their first holiday away!

Where does she say she's packing for him? The first time our DC do anything, we advise or guide them. That's how they learn! Next time it's up to him.
There are many ways to teach young people how to be responsible apart from passively watching them make serious mistakes!

Basic greetings in the local language. The Portuguese for 'hello', 'thank you' for example.

If he is flying with Ryanair, money to cover any surprise extra charges.

It doesn't.

But she is fretting on here because she hasnt "been on the ball" at home and so he had to do it himself.

Can I second the prescription medication. A mistake I learned the hard way (and mine is at least not keeping me alive, though it certainly improves my life)

Underwear wasn’t on the list…..
But yeah let him get on with it. I went to Ibiza at 17 and managed to survive

Where does she say she's packing for him? The first time our DC do anything, we advise or guide them. That's how they learn! Next time it's up to him.
There are many ways to teach young people how to be responsible apart from passively watching them make serious mistakes!

It doesn't
But she is fretting on here because she hasnt "been on the ball" at home and so he had to do it himself

She hasn't said he had to do it himself.

Op literally says Is there anything glaringly obvious they he’s forgotten?
All she was doing was asken for tips.
Seems reasonable to me.
To be honest, I fretting a little first time ds went away by himself, now he goes so often it barely registers.
I fretting when im going away and im a frequent flyer and ive picked up some tips.

Mn is crazy when someone wants a bit of help to make things a bit easier for their dh or ds.
As I said on my earlier post an op wouldn't get the 'ds can sort himself' type reactions if she was asking about a daughter.

As long as he's insured and got a ghic card....not having one can invalidate insurance. Why are you getting involved?

A list of actual emergency family phone numbers and insurance emergency phone number taped to inside of suitcase, along with copy passport.

Surely he's been away from home before....my kids packed their own bag for family hols, scout trips etc as teenagers.