Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Flip

1 2 3 4 5

Original poster

Families who manage an early get away when going on holiday: AIBU to ask how you manage it?

104 replies

Nerdybeethoven · 10/08/2018 09:49

2.5 hours this morning despite the fact that 3/4 of the car was packed yesterday and I made the packed lunch last night. Like this every friggin' time we go anywhere. Exhausted already.

OP posts:

HedgehogPoo · 10/08/2018 10:24

I love this - I'm so chaotic and unorganised / over-organised that it takes me forever to do this. Only 2.5 hours? I wish!

Original poster

Nerdybeethoven · 10/08/2018 10:24

Our ASD son is up with the lark - he's our alarm clock. This morning I had to move him from TV to breakfast and then to bathroom and bedroom to get dressed. In between those steps he wandered off to play guitars, read his book, ask irrelevant questions.

OP posts:

Yokatsu · 10/08/2018 10:25

Your expecting too much from everyone.
Bikes on the car night before, What was so urgent in the greenhouse it couldn't wait??? Breakfast pastries, egg frittata anything that can be packed into the car the night (or Macdonalds drive through enroute) before so no opportunity to breakfast faff. No jobs for children, just shower dress car. Only jobs that should be left are water bottles and packed lunches from the fridge and flasks of coffee.

We leave at this time. Anyone not in the car at this time gets left behind. Havent had to leave anyone yet

Yokatsu · 10/08/2018 10:26

ASD son the last to get ready. Everyone else ready first then son supervised straight throug

TwoBlueShoes · 10/08/2018 10:29

I think you just have to accept it. When we go camping, it takes me all morning to get the car packed up and everything ready to go. So, I don't plan anything in the morning and we leave after lunch. If we have to leave early in the morning, I still get up about 2 hours earlier than I think is necessary because it always takes me longer than I think.

MyOtherProfile · 10/08/2018 10:29

I think I've answered my own question - it's the kids!
There you go, you just need to leave them behind!

Original poster

Nerdybeethoven · 10/08/2018 10:30

Unfortunately bikes in the car the night before would be likely to get nicked where we live. And only one carrier would fit our ancient car and it's a pain in the bum. DH should have sorted out the greenhouse last night for sure!

OP posts:

Ginkypig · 10/08/2018 10:30

Think of it like a school morning but with extra suitcases?

DrWhy · 10/08/2018 10:31

Divide and conquer- have jobs and know who’s doing them. For packing, then evening before I get everything we need together (mine, DS and ‘sundry’ - DH does his own), I get cases in the room, DH packs cases and plays car Tetris with them. If leaving before 7am leave shower the night before, have breakfast in the car or on the way. Clothes laid out the night before, hand luggage bags packed, one case left open and space in the car for it to add washbags, baby monitor, critical cuddly toy (although if it’s just me travelling I have a completely separate travel washbag with duplicate stuff in so that’s already packed too). For early leaving, up before DS as others said then transfer sleeping (hopefully) child to the car and deal with getting them dressed at the appropriate time on the journey. Breakfast is toast in the car, any dirty crockery and cutlery in the dishwasher and switch on, and rubbish straight in the outdoor bin (indoor bins also emptied the night before). Later leave it’s just the same routine as getting out for nursery only clothes are already chosen so extra time is spent gathering up the toothbrushes, baby monitor etc.
So early leave with no shower and car/no breakfast is about 45 mins, later leave with getting DS up and dressed is about an hour. If taking a taxi an extra 5-10 mins to load taxi and get car seat in it.

Original poster

Nerdybeethoven · 10/08/2018 10:32

MyOther: so true! I'm thinking maybe this is the last year of family holidays. We will spend the budget on school trips instead!

OP posts:

BrutusMcDogface · 10/08/2018 10:32

We managed to leave af stupid o'clock this year by getting everything packed in the car the night before, and getting clothes etc laid out. Kids were up and dressed and in the car with a packed breakfast while I ran around making sure windows were shut/things turned off etc. I was amazed we managed it tbh, but it was pretty easy!

Missingstreetlife · 10/08/2018 10:32

Travelling in rush hour? On a Friday?

Yokatsu · 10/08/2018 10:33

Unfortunately bikes in the car the night before would be likely to get nicked where we live.

Oh bugger.

ShesABelter · 10/08/2018 10:36

We only ever get up 40 mins leaving for airport if our flight is early. Tv doesn't get turned on. Clothes are sat out, suitcases waiting with everything in except chargers, toothbrushes, toiletries that were used that morning/night before, make up etc to be added to one case that's left open.

We get up get washed and dressed and my dh males tea and his breakfast whilst I go get kids up. Kids come down. Get washed quickly, clothes on whilst my dh brings their breakfast (if it's super early my kids won't eat anyway) teeth brushed, last things packed away. Final check for passports, money, tickets then go.

Original poster

Nerdybeethoven · 10/08/2018 10:36

Holiday lets are Saturday to Saturday and we are breaking the journey half way with family. So we get to do this again tomorrow! Not much choice when to travel. We drove from Wiltshire to Kent yesterday afternoon and that was busy too ...

OP posts:

123bananas · 10/08/2018 10:37

I feel your pain. 3 hours it has taken us this morning. Packed most of car yesterday before work.

3 kids 9, 6 and 4, youngest has asd.

I finished work at 2am and have had 4 hours sleep. Most of the time was taken up getting kids ready and making packed lunches that could have been made last night, but no one thought to do that last night whilst I was at work!

Grumpy already.

Currywurstmitpommes · 10/08/2018 10:37

All bags packed and laid out except for tooth brushes and teddies, travel outfits inc shoes and hair accessories agreed and laid out in advance. Adults up and coffee. Wake kids, dress them plonk in front of cbeebies while last minute things are packed. DH packs the car while I do last minute stuff/lock up. Last minute toilet, shoes and into the car and off. Stop for breakfast on the way - emergency bananas for anyone who can’t wait!

TeenTimesTwo · 10/08/2018 10:38

With the children, we get ourselves up first, then get them up, dressed, snack if needed, plonk them on a chair in front of TV say 'don't move' while we pack last minute things, lock windows etc. Then 'toilet, shoes on, car'.
We can leave in 30mins if we need to, generally allow 45.

TwoBlueShoes · 10/08/2018 10:45

In the holidays I've gone to work a few times so the kids dad has come over to watch them for the day. I'm just shocked at how much time I have in the mornings when I'm just seeing to myself. I usually get up at 6am and start work at 10am with a 30 minute commute and mornings are really busy. Mornings when the kids are home, I can get up at 8am and I'm still sitting around twiddling my thumbs.

It's definitely your kids!!

Original poster

Nerdybeethoven · 10/08/2018 10:53

I think I find it particularly frustrating because weekdays in term time we achieve so much. I work from home and multitask / juggle brilliantly (if I say so myself) to work, do the domestic stuff, get the kids to / from activities, supervise homework and music practice, cook etc etc. In the school holidays when I'm still working I still manage all that, plus trips out for the kids, activities, friends round etc. But weekends and going away massively goes haywire. Maybe it's all my husband's fault!

OP posts:

Bibesia · 10/08/2018 10:56

I was once so determined that we were going to have a quiet, stress-free getaway that I stayed up most of the night packing and making sure everything was ready. I was tired of starting holidays stressed out, tight-lipped and barely speaking. We had a ferry to catch, and DH had to fly back during the holiday for work purposes. I finally went to bed satisfied that all that had to happen was getting everyone dressed, fed and strapped into the car.

And then DH couldn't find his plane tickets. Cue massive stress and stropping. At a fairly early stage I asked if he'd checked the hall table, yes, he shouted, of course he had. Eventually he went out to check the car. So I had a good look on and around the hall table. Guess what I found? Bastard wasn't even grateful.

Jeanclaudejackety · 10/08/2018 11:00

Completely packed night before. have two of everything. So toothbrushes, makeup, toiletries are all packed and there's duplicates to use in the morning.

Outfits down to knickers and socks out ready to put on.

Kids backpacks packed and nothing comes out of them in the morning.

Literally up washed teeth brushed. Simple breakfast juice cuppa tea and a cereal bar or piece of toast or we usually eat at the airport or services after we have all woken up a bit.

LePetitPont · 10/08/2018 11:01

It’s definitely easier with a v early start when you have a flight to catch. No room for faffing that way!! We get everything packed beforehand, just last minute chargers etc in the morning. Shower the night before, all clothes laid out and get up and ready before the boys (although they are early risers do this doesn’t always need to happen). They give them some games on their tablets and a cereal bar whilst we move the cases downstairs and triple check we’ve got the passports. 45 mins, max.

Agree it’s tricker to leave on a driving holiday. I really need to have my husband signed up to the time of leaving - then he takes it as his own mission to get us all out! Again everything packed and ready the night before, and get dressed as quickly as possible. No lazing about breakfast / CBeebies time helps, as if it were a nursery morning.

It’s when people have their own agendas it tends to go wrong - the faffing with the greenhouse would infuriate me!!

JingsMahBucket · 10/08/2018 11:02

I love this thread. Reading everyone's efficient processes has brought a joyful tear to my eye. I hope to one day be so seamless in my travel preparation. teary sniff

BigSandyBalls2015 · 10/08/2018 11:02

It's not the kids in our house, it's DH. We're all ready to go and he's faffing about, decides it's a good idea to clip his toe nails or have a big shit. Or decides he can't possibly leave his car on the road where it always is, so we have a big car moving session up and down the drive, moving bins .... one year I caught him in the kitchen dismantling the dishwasher five minutes before we were due to leave. WTF I shouted .... he just looked at me completely bewildered "but you said it isn't working, you wanted me to fix it" NOT NOW!!

and breath

Flip

1 2 3 4 5