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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To ask if you're relaxed and organised before going on holiday or VERY STRESSED

112 replies

TheOwlTheory · 12/07/2018 14:30

Sadly, I'm the latter!

OP posts:
Caribbeanyesplease · 12/07/2018 15:50

Super organised. It’s not a big deal. Sit down, wrote list, tick off.

I’m a single mum of two young children. No help getting the suitcases down, packing up the car, getting to airport etc etc.

Head down, focussed, do it.

It all works out in the end and a wonderful holiday to look forward to on way out, and lovely home to look forward to on way back.

museumum · 12/07/2018 15:56

I hate the week before when i'm trying to get all the clothes we need to wear on holiday into the laundry, washed and dried and not worn again while still having us all clothed. This year was hard as it was so warm here we were wearing clothes usually only worn on holiday. I ended up sweltering in inappropriate clothes for three days before we went (we live in scotland i dont have a lot of warm weather clothes)

MiggledyHiggins · 12/07/2018 15:57

I'm relaxed about it, but I plan ahead and have lists. Lots of lists and start packing early.

Plus I also make sure the house is spotless before I go so we aren't facing into a heap of cleaning when we are already bummed from our holiday ending.

Caribbeanyesplease · 12/07/2018 16:24

Oh I spend a ridiculous amount of time cleaning before I leave.
It makes the return from holiday SO much more bearable when you walk in to your home and it’s sparkling clean

BrownTurkey · 12/07/2018 16:29

I used to be stressed until I got home again, but I have recently started to enjoy some holidays.

Aquamarine1029 · 12/07/2018 16:47

I'm getting ready to go on holiday this Saturday and I'm both relaxed and stressed. The packing part of it is no problem, but we have to leave all of our animals and that always makes me anxious. My daughter's boyfriend will be taking care of them and he's a very dependable and responsible young man, but I still worry about them.

bigKiteFlying · 12/07/2018 17:03

I used to get stressed - and DH used to get very snarky in response as packing and getting ready was no big deal.

Since DC are older and capable of packing themselves I've come realise I was packing for 4 and him just himself - plus I was having to cope with last minute washing and drying. I now insist washing is done by them or done days before.

I also used to put pressure to have house tidy before left - I stopped doing that so much when DH let the DC all go the two loos just as taxi was pulling up and not flush - that was not a nice smell to come back to.

Ellafruit1 · 12/07/2018 17:09

I stress hugely about flying (fitting luggage into manageable cases to carry, carrying everything and herding my little one through the airport on my own is stressful!)

And I stress when going away with family as always seem to give into demands to do things like meal planning grocery shopping in advance (I prefer to go with the flow and get sorted once I arrive!)

If I’m going away on my own by car I’m super chilled :)

timeisnotaline · 12/07/2018 17:23

Absolute key to stress free holiday prep is dh pulls his weight. Half the planning, his won packing and half the dc /family packing . I won’t do t for everyone. anymore

BigSandyBalls2015 · 12/07/2018 17:32

Kids should pack their own stuff from about aged 10 at the latest.

A friend of mine packs for the whole family and stresses about it .... kids all mid to late teens 😳

stopgap · 12/07/2018 17:43

Stressed, but not about the packing. I make a list and pack a week in advance, adding in toiletries and toothbrushes at the very end.

I’m a terrible flyer, and my anxiety surrounding that kicks in a few days before departure.

Ggirl27 · 12/07/2018 17:51

I have prewritten check lists on my PC which I print out, I have a list of jobs round the house which need to be done, I have a list of work issues that need to be sorted before I go. I pack for everyone although they do get roped in and I hate packing so this makes it less stressful. The night before I am usually anxious and don't sleep and I can honestly say that anxiety doesn't leave me until the cases are checked in at the airport and I'm through passport control. That's when my holiday starts! I wish I was different and much more relaxed...

purplecorkheart · 12/07/2018 18:18

Relaxed but very organised. Unless I am travelling with my parents, then I am stressed but very organised. You have to lie about departure times. If we agree to leave the house at 2pm it is at least 3pm as they are running around looking for passports/a wooly jumper that they may have left in my aunts or decide they might dehead the roses. Then they spend thr car journey shouting at the other cars because they are holding them up etc. Thankfully I rarely travel with them when we are on a time limit.

DuchessofManchester · 12/07/2018 18:34

I'm very relaxed and organised. Try to get everything done by 4ish and then settle down with a holiday gin and a takeaway. That's when my holiday starts.

WontLetThoseRobotsDefeatMe · 12/07/2018 18:56

I love packing!! With a glass of wine, it's part of the holiday for me. It does help that DP and I both have similar timescales for wanting to be at airports, stations etc. Previous partner felt everyone should wait for him. I got fed up of running for trains, through airports or paying for taxis to wait. That was stressful.

userofthiswebsite · 12/07/2018 19:10

All you people who are expert, pro-packers...

Care to share your master lists?

Am leaving Sunday for a city break...

Do not have a packing strategy as yet Grin

Justmuddlingalong · 12/07/2018 19:59

Well, I've finished packing, well, apart from those last minute things. 😏 Right on the button with my luggage allowance. And this is the 1st time I've used packing cubes and they are a bloody revelation. I can now relax while watching DP do his packing. ✈️

TheNoodlesIncident · 12/07/2018 20:09

What ARE these packing cubes of which posters speak? I can't say I've had difficulty squishing stuff into a suitcase, but I'm willing to concede my technique is a little rough and ready and might stand improvement...

frenchknitting · 12/07/2018 20:11

People who spend ages cleaning before you leave - don't you find that by the time you've done the last minute packing and dragged all the cases and people into the car, then it looks like you hadn't bothered anyway? Or at least, by the time you've done the reverse at the other end, and unloaded the car the house looks like a bomb has hit it?

TheOwlTheory · 12/07/2018 20:40

I’m a terrible flyer, and my anxiety surrounding that kicks in a few days before departure

How do you deal with that @stopgap?

I take 10mg of Valium before the flight but am thinking of starting now (we fly Sunday)

OP posts:
ZispinAndMushroomTea · 12/07/2018 20:48

I'm stressed before, during and a bit afterwards, too!

We've just come home from an eight-day holiday of a sorts. I was stressing (bordering on panicking) increasingly about a week beforehand. All the millions of things that could go wrong playing in my head, I suppose. And I take the anxiety out in somewhat futile activity, which meant I scrubbed the whole house ridiculously clean and micro managed things, causing me more stress.

We had quite a nice time away, but I don't think I've uncleanched once. I drank way too much wine, just to drown out the anxiety of not knowing how the house and pet were doing and the just sheer worry of being out of my comfort zone.

Home now. I've not really slept more than an hour here and there for several nights, but I'm still too wound up from it all to go and have an early night. It'll take everything being unpacked (and in its rightful place), washed and sorted, and me feeling some sense of normal daily routine again, and then I'll be better again.

I do want the extra experiences of going to places, but I can't say that holidays have anything to do with relaxing for me.

TheOwlTheory · 12/07/2018 21:05

Zispin - I know what you mean about not "unclenching" on holiday!

OP posts:
tldr · 12/07/2018 21:07

I was v stressy until today when I cured it by buying most of my pharmacy. I feel ready(ish) now.

tldr · 12/07/2018 21:09

Now my main source of stress is that since we’re not going Sat - Sat and we’re not going for 7 or 14 days I’m either going to forget to go, or forget to come home.

CeridwensCottage · 12/07/2018 21:32

I get stressed and make myself ill Sad

I developed a uti last time and this time, I have a painful sinus infection. I don’t think I’ll bother going away again.