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

[TheOwlTheory]

Sadly, I'm the latter!

@Justmuddlingalong we are going to the alps too and there’s thunderstorms forecast with temps of 23 degrees?! I’m packing everything we own 🤦‍♀️

It's a bit mind boggling trying to cover every eventually, weather wise isn't it, @DrAdmin?

I get stressed. Sources of stress:

1. Getting things sorted at work before we go on holiday. Depending on the people I have working for me that involves several handover meetings plus writing long emails so everything is recorded. I always end up working late every night the week we go on holiday. That means less time to get ready.

2. The husband. He packs for himself but that usually involves him putting 4 woolen jumpers, 5 pairs of jeans, 20 t-shirts, 2 pairs of socks and no pants or coats on the bed at 10pm the night before we leave for Scotland for a fortnight despite me asking him multiple times to pack. He does not pack for the three children unless he is going to visit his parents with them without me in which case I refuse to do any packing and then he gets the DC to do their own packing. I have to repeatedly ask him to do the things I want him to do then he'll do them at the last minute as we're about to leave. Then is surprised when we come back to 2 week old milk/veg box because the dairy/farm didn't get the message to cancel in time to prevent the first delivery (he's been known to send an email when we are travelling).

3. The children. The elder two (9&10) now do get their packing done with some guidance on how many t-shirts etc to take. But 3 DC plus 2FT jobs plus no handy family members to entertain them while we get the packing done means we're running at capacity already. Plus although now it's easier there were what seemed like years and years of me planning a holiday while pregnant and or breastfeeding and it was exhausting.

4. This one should now be solved but we were too big for our last house and so there was no room to do packing in advance. I couldn't hide clothes from the kids, I couldn't have half full suitcases lying about. And the house needed to be left tidy for the cleaners who would do a deep clean when we were on holiday.

5. Family. We live far away from family and so holidays involve travelling a long way to visit family and staying with them for too long. We're planning to have a summer holiday this year just the 5 of us for the first time ever and I'm really looking forward it.

Basically I'm at that stupidly busy stage of life with lots of responsibilities and commitments so that holidays just add complications rather than being relaxing.

I'm very very organised but super stressed at the same time. Don't know how that works but it does.

im relaxed and organised write a list of what needs to go in the suitcase and tick it off as i aquire the items and put them in the case, till the day before we go and Oh has either taken everything out the cases at least three times because he wants to wear clothes that are in there, so disorganising my packing or he d

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

No I don’t find this.
I clean in the days running up to it.
Night before suitcases in car.

Morning..up dressed and on our way. Squirt or bleach down toilet, done

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?

Same as Caribbean, I don't find this. The house was nice and clean when we left, and nice and clean when we came home. The cat was home (with regular cat sitter visits, of course), and there was extra cat hair and a surprise hairball upstairs, but otherwise nice to come home to a clean place, and go to sleep in clean sheets etc.

My reason for cleaning is that I used to feel quite down coming home after visiting places much prettier and nicer than home was, back when we lived in a small flat, so I tried to do what I could to lessen that, and it's stuck.

I'm organised but I get stressed because my DH isn't. I have a list on a spreadsheet and start packing about a week before we go. He doesn't, and only starts packing his stuff the day before we leave - what's really infuriating is that he does this:

"Valenta, have you packed your swimsuit?"
"Yes, it's on my list"
"Valenta, have you packed your phone charger?"
"Yes, it's on my list"
"Valenta, don't forget to pack the dog-stake"
"It's on the flaming list! Everything I need to pack is on my list! I have used the same list for the last 10 years and it works! Just get your own stuff packed and leave me alone."

...

50 miles down the M1:
"Oh, no, Valenta - I forgot to pack my swimming trunks!"

Gaaaah

I'm a nightmare, I become a total perfectionist. Everything has to be packed properly. I can't forget anything (because obviously there will be NO SHOPS where we are going). The house has to be left clean and tidy despite the fact that it's not clean and tidy at any other time. All family members must have hair cuts (nothing worse than holiday photos with bad hair).

I am trying to learn not to do this to myself but I seem to be getting worse as I get older.

Care to share your master lists?

Mine is split into headings - clothes, accessories, toiletries, journey (tickets, passports if applicable) technology [phone chargers etc.] medicines, entertainment, 'last minute' (things I use all the time and just need to check I have such as my purse, keys, phone), dog's things, and 'anything else' with a space to write it in.

Under each heading I list everything I could possibly need for any holiday, then when I print it out I start by crossing off what I don't need for this particular trip.

packing cubes are genius. I know how many filled ones I can fit in each suitcase and have specific sizes for each member of the family depending on the trip. All clothes (other than swimwear, one coat and one heavy jumper/cardi/hoody) has to fit into one packing cube. I also use one for all swimwear inc googles and flipflops and another for ipads/chargers/headphones for hand luggage.

It's useful if you need to re-jig some packing part way through as you don't have to rifle through the whole case.

These are like mine. www.amazon.co.uk/Gonex-Packing-Travel-Luggage-Organizer/dp/B074M6ZV6W/ref=lp_1769603031_1_7?s=luggage&tag=mumsnetforum-21&ie=UTF8&qid=1531476090&sr=1-7

I have two sets which is enough for a family of 5 (3 small kids though, not teens) and we holiday in rainy Ireland and take two suitcases between us all.

I also do interim packing into laundry baskets, one for each family member and then an extra one for all the random family crap/admin/miscellania which then sit on the floor in my room until I am ready to pack. That way, I can see where stuff is and check the volume of stuff is not excessive.

I wasn’t actually too bad this year ( still took loads that I never wore though!) but I do get generally anxious about going on holiday.

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?

Not for me but that's only because I've not any last minute packing to do. Maybe some last minute rearranging of contents on the morning itself but the main packing is done. I chip away at the cleaning in the days leading up to the holiday.

The last holiday we arrived home around 6am, me and DS went to bed. DP couldn't sleep so he emptied all three suitcases and put on loads of washing so it was all on the line when I woke up at 11am, the cases up in the attic and the toiletries and other miscellanea were on the kitchen table in groups to be put away.

I don't get stressed. The week or so before I make a leisurely list of what I need to take. That allows time to think of everything. Put stars by the things that will absolutely mess up your holiday if you forget them (passport, tickets, medicine etc).
Then pack everything, being extra sure to pack the starred things.
It's a globalised world now, you can use translation apps and ATMs and everything... Not like when you had to rely on travellers cheques and a bit of luck.

It definitely depends on how many children you have and their ages. Also if they have health issues and allergies. I would say for one child it is effortless. Much more thought is needed with lots of children, lots of animals to ensure are well cared for off to various animal hotels. Also I would imagine it depends on the size of your house and how organised you like to be when you get back.

For me, I like to have a spotless house on my return, clean bedding and zero washing so I can keep the holiday feeling alive. If I come back to a tip of a house and the washing basket already overflowing before I have even opened a case all of my relaxation evaporates.

I don't stress, but I do make sure everything is done before I go so once we are in the car and on our way I can truly sink into the kind of chilled zone that only holidays can bring. I would also add I do checklists and print them off, saves so much time.

I always turn my phone off on holiday, then it is a real holiday (no one has died yet and I get the headspace I need)

freebutton I’ve just bought two sets of those :)

I’m relaxed but not hugely organised! I just don’t find it too difficult and am quite laid back by nature. DH is the opposite, though has got better. When we first started holidaying together I could never understand how he’d get so stressed. Then I saw his parents packing for holiday once and it all made sense! I have never seen such levels of fuss...

The only part about going on holiday that stresses me out is flying as I absolutely hate it. Everything else is fine. I always do AI holidays anyway so there's less for me to do.

We always go on self catering holidays with a washing machine, so my packing strategy for EACH PERSON is:
6 full sets of underwear
2 PJs
6 tops
6 bottoms
1 evening outfit
2 pairs of shoes (flip flops work as slippers too)
One joint toilet bag or airline baggies (I collect free samples during the year for the first few days and buy large size at our destination) with mini first aid supplies.

Then according to destination, swimming gear or rain gear, warm jumpers etc. One suitable jacket worn on the day.
A plastic A4 ZIPLOK file with travel documents.
Each person has their own daypack and is responsible for chargers etc.

We can normally manage with carry-on luggage.
But the stress is caused by wanting to come back, refreshed from our holiday, to a clean and tidy house. Not happening this year as DS is house sitting so I’m totally chilled !

Not organised but relaxed.

I don't get stressed but then we don't fly (that would probably stress me out!).

I have lists on my phone of what we need to take and I start packing the week before we go. Everything goes in the spare bedroom until the day before and is then loaded into the car.

We go a week tomorrow to Cornwall and I have done all my lists and will start packing tomorrow. Can't wait!

I am super organised and always very excited about going away. I don't get stressed, not at all. Your list was

Get hair done.
Take dogs to kennels (sob!)
Flap around
Have tantrum
Enjoy holiday

Why is getting your hair done stressful? Do you need to change hairressers? I am usually so chilled at mine I have been known to fall asleep in the chair

Taking dog to kennels is shite - you can have that one.

What are you flapping about?
What are you having a tantrum about?

I think we need more info as this doesn't really make sense.