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

[TheOwlTheory]

Sadly, I'm the latter!

Stressed I'm afraid. I really hate packing. There's something about the process - have we got this, have I remembered that, do we or don't we need these, where the hell is XYZ, and ABC's in the wash yet again - that is inherently a magnet for overthinking. If you're one of those people who's stressed by too much choice, packing is a nightmare in slow motion.

Can I be relaxed but not organised? That's mostly how I am. I've travelled a lot so I don't find it tricky to pack, I do it all the night before we leave and get 5 of us into two medium suitcases. In fact, the hardest part of packing is cutting down Mr LBCOS's clothing contribution from 1.5 suitcases worth to something more reasonable without him noticing.

Lists (as all the organised PPs have said) are your friend. I keep a rolling holiday packing list that contains the bones of what we always need to take on holiday (we usually do similar types of holiday). Its getting slightly easier now oldest is 4.5 and youngest is 1.8 and won’t be in a cot that much longer.

I do still take the kitchen sink though - full to brim estate car (with a MASSIVE boot) and a half roofbox.

Yes this is me. I usually do it all in advance but still spend the last few days obsessively worried I will forget to the things that can't go in the suitcase yet (that skirt I wore that needs to be cleaned, toothbrushes, charger, phone, kindle etc) but this year I have decided to relax and leave it until the last minute. I have decided to spend the shortest amount of time possible in packing activities. Let's see how that goes !!

I go into mummy-meltdown the day before we go (2 weeks villa on the Med, flying). And I am List Central.

I need the house to be clean before we go, all the plants watered, no washing or washing up to be done, and no teenager (far too old to need to be reminded) to tell me, 2 hours out, that the shorts I'd been asking him to check for size for the last 6 weeks don't fit any more..... assuming he can find them!

I hate flying anyway, but for me, the biggie is streamline car-hire hand-over and arriving at the villa and making sure it's OK. I always fear being scammed.

Once we're in, sorted and I'm sitting by the pool with something cold in my hand- it's all OK.

I am in the stressed camp but that’s mostly due to work, trying to make sure I’ e covered everything g that might come up and I’m not revealed to be an incompetent twat while I’m away.

Organizing holidays makes me very happy! It drives my DH mad. Once we’ve booked I’ve made my packing list, shopping list, list of restaurants and activities I’ve researched on TripAdvisor that I want to try. I’m the worst, apparently. But likewise, his tendency to wait till the day before to decide he hasn’t got x, y and z drives me to distraction. Luckily we balance each other out in this way...

Can I be relaxed but not organised?

Of course, I'm organised but stressed. Mainly because I'm married to a relaxed but disorganised sort so resentment builds as we get annoyed at each other.

I get so stressed I have to start taking Kalms a couple of weeks before we go away. If I don't, I can't eat or sleep, and I literally gag with anxiety first thing in the mornings. I don't have an issue with organising it all, or packing, it is the physical feeling of leaving home, and going somewhere I don't know. For years we went to same the place, same hotel, as that was the only way I could be enticed to travel, and we drove, which I prefer. Recently I have been braver and gone somewhere new, we went to Wengen, and to Sardinia. We have been back to both, and they are now the only new places I will go My family despair of me....

Well I’m relaxed but not organised! We largely travel to first world destinations with the kids and if I forget stuff, it’s mostly obtainable! No big deal. Summer holidays are a doddle in any case - swimming kit, shorts and t-shirts, kindles, essential medications, Sun block, each kids favourite cuddly. Ski-Ing a bit more of a palaver as I’d rather not forget and need to buy expensive ski goggles etc. I would quite like to be a bit more organised but I use up all those brain cells at work but can manage pretty last minute for holidays.

I used to have to do the organising for all our holidays, and Ex would literally be telling me what I needed to do, and telling me to sort out what we were going to be doing while away. He'd also leave me all the packing, and I'd have to nag him to sort out clothing for himeself.

Ha! No longer need to be doing that, the DCs are great at getting involved with this sort of stuff with me, whereas they'd be cowed by Ex's behaviour.