to take two suitcases on holiday for five days

[Happypenguin2014]

For myself dh and two DC. To skegness. For five days.

For DC I have:

Ds- 5 tops, 3 shirts, two pairs of shoes, 3 shorts, 3 jeans, a hat, socks and pants

Dd- 4 dresses, 3 skirts 1 jumpsuit, 2 shoes, hat, leggings 3 tops, pants and socks

Seems so much ,:/

I'm sure you could condense it down a bit if you wanted, but if space is not an issue, and you will be able to manage two cases, then I don't see a problem.

That sounds very much right. I'm off today for 10 days and have two large suitcases, a wheeled cabin case and a large 'handbag'. I hope you have a lovely time with your family. I do have lots of presents for my family though.

Blimey, I take more than that for a weekend

I took 13 suitcases for 16 nights for me, DH and 2 DCs, I am working on it though and this year I will strive to get under 10!

I find that I need to pack for all eventualities and often come back with 2 suitcases full of clean clothes

Nothing wrong with that! Enjoy yourselves!

13 suitcases?!?

OP I think it depends on how old the kids are. If you've got a messy or potty training toddler the onbviously you need lots of clothes.

But assuming the kids are older than age 4. I think it's too much. For your DS you only need 2 jeans, 2 shirts, and 2 shorts.

4 dresses, 3 skirts and a jumpsuit, plus leggings for 5 days. That's 2 outfits a day?? Are you changing for dinner?

13 suitcases for 4 people! I don't think we own that much stuff. You must spend longer packing and unpacking than you do on holiday! The four of us went camping for 3 weeks in the US with all our clothes, tent, sleeping bags,camping mats plates etc in 5 bags. We did do laundry a few times. I do think that with small children you can't have too many changes of clothes. I recall having to buy an extraordinarily expensive tee shirt in a very chic French shop after a toddler lost a fight with a chocolate ice cream cone on a day out, having already sat down in the sea while paddling.

DH and I are going away for two nights tomorrow. We're taking 2 small suitcases, 1 medium case and 2 rucksacks. I've also packed another bag in case we buy lots of stuff whilst away... I've already condensed it down a few times. I'm not doing it anymore! I always take way to much but I like to have lots of options.

I'm always generous on pants and socks with DS. Two pairs per day in case of accidents.

Otherwise it sounds fine.

Just had the best villa holiday doing nothing and we took one sports bag of clothes and toiletries between 3 of us. In your face Easyjet!!!

And I still took 4 tops and 3 pairs of shorts that I didn't wear.

How much excess baggage did you have to pay for those 13 suitcases?

Oh crikey - this is filling me with fear.

I'm going away soon with DH & 3 DCs (age 9,6,3) for 10 days in Spain. DH has had the great idea to win one over on Ryanair and only take handluggage. 2 cabin sized backpacks, 2 smaller day packs (kids will carry them) & 1 handbag. No idea how we're going to fit all my shoes our clothes in!!!

Hilm I think Ryanair have a weight restriction on hand luggage too which thank god Easyjet don't?

Yes sorry planning to change for evening, loved going on holiday abroad when I was younger and dressing up for the evening.

I thought you meant two for just you. Even then, YWNBU in my book. But two cases for four people? How do you fit everything in? chronic overpacker

It's a good amount if you can't access a washing machine, and if they don't sell toothpaste etc wherever you're going.

If you can do laundry and buy disposables then you don't need that much. When DD and I moved to europe we had a carryon case each. When I travel alone with DS (toddler) I pack for both of us in a single carry-on bag.

Overpacking is a headache and a backache waiting to happen.

I've been a minimal packer ever since I went inter-railing and did a month out of one rucksack.

We always stand and boggle at check-in at how much stuff other families have. But then, I do tend to wash clothes when we're away, as I can't bear to come back to 101 loads of laundry.

We're just back from 2 weeks away, 2 suitcases and a trunki for dp, me and 2dc. Plenty of room.

I'm the other end of the packing spectrum. I packed two medium suitcases for 5 of us for a week abroad last year. One weighed in at 13kg and the other at 15kg. Three adults, one teen and a six year old. We changed every evening too.

I do realise I am not normal, it was a cruise so no excess baggage but way too many bags to manage.

You have to dress for the evenings so evening dresses and suits take up lots of rooms. A suitcase for my shoes and handbags, hand luggage each filled with wine so that is 6 including a suit bag before anything else. I take 2 pairs of pants for each of us per day so I think that also takes up a bag all on its own .

I have planned better this time, I have an excel spreadsheet with a plan of what to wear, this will stop me just packing everything we own.

I am an expert unpacker , we arrive, get to the cabins at 2pm and are at the lifeboat drill by 4pm all unpacked and ready to enjoy the holiday. I also then pack dirty washing into the suitcase as we go then after breakfast the 2nd to last day I pack everything other than the stuff we need that night or the next day.

Blimey! I went to Florida for a week with just hand luggage... And came back with a huuuge suitcase ah the good old days of two dollars to the pound

That makes sense Zany - I can unpack in record time and do the dirty washing in the case as we go along too.

My worst error of over packing was last holiday I unpacked the DCs pyjamas and had packed 9 sets EACH! I must have just kept adding pjs once they were washed and ironed, I had no idea they had that many but 4 of them didn't actually fit DS2 anymore