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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Holiday packing mishaps, what's yours?

186 replies

tiggerbounce77 · 04/05/2019 17:46

Have come away for a little weekend away and completely forgot to pack my pyjamas, have remembered to pack everything else for everyone else. Its bloomin freezing, aibu to nip to a supermarket to buy some more even though I have plenty at home and really don't need another pair?

What important thing have you forgotten to pack when going away?

OP posts:
Youvegotafriendinme · 04/05/2019 23:26

Went to Florida for 3 weeks and only remembered my socks and underwear. No other clothes apart from what I’d traveled in. Have no idea how! Thank goodness it was easy enough to buy new clothes

Another time we went to Ireland for 4 nights and I forgot socks so had to wash and dry the same pair every night as the shops were so expensive, there was no way I was spending €8 on 2 pairs of socks. The last day we saw a primark Hmm

Jupiters · 04/05/2019 23:39

I managed to forget all my shoes.

LittleRen · 04/05/2019 23:43

Last year I went away for 2 weeks... only packed my left contact lenses, much weaker then my right. It was a nightmare but my right eye eventually adjusted to the weaker lense!

RoseMartha · 04/05/2019 23:46

Once my nightwear, another time socks. When I forgot my socks I was with extended in law family, no one offered me a spare pair and told me I should have remembered with distain in their tone, (bearing in mind I had packed for the dc and my then h and myself without any assistance, just hindrance from the kids as they got under my feet etc. It was a wonder I only forgot my socks).

avocadochocolate · 04/05/2019 23:48

Forgot swimsuit for Greek island holiday. Bought the world'S ugliest costume in Athens - bright yellow cotton with blue and white flowers.

MsAdorabelleDearheartVonLipwig · 04/05/2019 23:53

Remembered whilst half way through a four hour drive that I’d forgotten to pack my shoes and only had the sandals on my feet.

Discovered on arrival in America in swelteringly hot August that dd had packed four pairs of pyjamas and about two tshirts and pairs of shorts. Quick trip to Walmart the next day.

Dh discovered to his absolute horror that he’d forgotten the PIN number of one of the brand new travel money cards. Luckily he had the other one. Discovered on our return home that my bank card would have had bugger all charges on it anyway so could have used that too.

Nameisthegame · 05/05/2019 00:42

Before you read this story keep in mind that I was moving abroad for good to join my ex with our 3 month dd and had budgeted almost down to the t with a small amount of spending money and my landlord was a knob and I lived in a place with a leaking roof for 5 years as he didn’t want to pay for it to be fixed.

The troubles started when I applied for dd passport I’d recently had a name change and the passport was delayed because my name change forms hadn’t arrived yet, my mum had come to stay to help me as there was no way I could travel with two suitcases a pram and dd.

(couldn’t afford to ship everything else so was at friends storage unit, ex had gotten a new job abroad we only had two weeks notice and after 3 months we were finally joining him)

After being delayed for two weeks (poor mum stayed the whole time) passport arrived we booked the plane tickets for the next day ordered taxis looked at coach times etc (I’d payed the rent and had informed the landlord that I would be out by the end of the month but didn’t have mob number to say I was leaving the next day)

Cue the morning! We felt so organized bags packed by the front door, mum goes out the front putting them in the taxi I go out the back lock the door and drop the keys through the landlords letterbox as he’s away and off we go to the coach station Mum’s getting the bags out.....but where’s my backpack with our passports?!? In the bleeding flat.

Mum takes taxi back tried to get in through the window I left open but it’s too high, knocks on landlords door he’s still out. Comes back, I go try window with help from strangers in the street, go to see upstairs who are friends with landlord they are out but have left a hammer on the stairs...can you see where this is going? I smash the smallest window for the bathroom grab my bag and get back in the taxi off the the coach station.

We missed the coach had to take two trains and a taxi but we made it!

Glitterblue · 05/05/2019 01:09

All my husband's clothes!!

Thegreymethod · 05/05/2019 01:20

Yes! Last weekend went to a wedding a few hours away from home in a dress and forgot to pack trousers for the next day. Had to go for breakfast in my pj bottoms (thankfully I had the leggings type pj bottoms) all I could think about whilst eating was someone starting a Mumsnet thread about the awful woman who ate breakfast in her pjs!!!

dontevenblink · 05/05/2019 01:34

When we emigrated we had to pack a suitcase each to last us 3 months until our container arrived. Having spent ages packing for myself and 2 dc, all whilst 6 months pregnant, I told DH he could pack his own suitcase.

When arrived, for some unknown reason it turned out DH had packed every suit, shirt and tie he owns (and has mostly never worn), but no pants or socks and only 1 t-shirt and pair of shorts (was summer when we arrived). Luckily our motel was opposite a big shop so he quickly went on a shopping spree!

8 years on he still has not worn any of the suits or ties (no one wears suits and ties here, unless maybe you are a politician) and I can't fathom why he forgot everything else. He says he panicked 😂

sam221 · 05/05/2019 01:36

A few years ago I organised a weekend trip away with my niece, she packed everything of hers into her luggage. Smart me, trying to be a great adult thought it was best I double check she packed everything. Long story short, we got to the hotel and she couldn't find her underwears.
I had accidentally not put the pouch with them all in back into her luggage- she was not impressed.
I had to ring the hotel concierge to find out where to buy some underwear on the 1st night!
I still can't live that story down-never again have i dared question anyones packing skills!!!

HelpAFattieOutHere · 05/05/2019 06:30

Not a mispack but I once misplaced my car.
Landed at Heathrow and couldn't find it anywhere. Took a while to realise we'd flown from Gatwick 🤦
I've never been allowed to book flights since!

frazzledasarock · 05/05/2019 06:33

I forgot my pjs once as well, was on an impromptu break with a friend and I’d been double triple checking my dc had packed properly and entirely forgot my own packing. I had to buy emergency pj’s too, my dc happily remind me of this still when packing for holiday ‘mummy have you packed your pjs?’ 🤨

purplelass · 05/05/2019 07:01

First festival I took DD to, she was 10 months old and I made sure I remembered everything she needed... and packed nothing for me. Not even a toothbrush.

CookieSwirlC · 05/05/2019 09:11

Not a packing mishap but a holiday one. Put all our holiday money on one of those cards you can use like a debit card. Set the pin up at the bank. All fine.

Got to Spain and the pin didn’t work. It was one I used for my own cards at home so knew it was right. After lots of tears and phone calls we finally got it sorted. I’d somehow when setting the pin up at the bank entered the wrong pin number twice. Think 1456 instead of 1234. No idea how I managed it. To make matters worse it was our honeymoon so it’s forever etched on my memory!

Aridane · 05/05/2019 09:26

I have never forgotten my passport , cash, the right airport or flight details/ and that’ All that matters!

BikeRunSki · 05/05/2019 09:26

A holiday one rather than a packing one....,

Drove to Northern Ireland a couple of weeks ago. Took car on ferry. 2 days before we were due to go, realised I’d booked the ferry journeys the wrong way round. Luckily I’d booked the flexi ticket and there was space on the opposite ferries to swap the journeys.

lola006 · 05/05/2019 09:27

I was in a taxi still on my street when I realised I had forgotten my glasses. DH has walked me out as he headed to the train, I didn’t have keys and PIL & DC sound asleep (it was 5:45am). I can’t see without lenses and did have 2 weeks worth of contacts but once they were out in evenings, that was it for me since I couldn’t see anything (eyes would get dry around 8-9pm).

BarbedBloom · 05/05/2019 09:29

Was much younger and had been away with work right before going away on holiday. Did a few washes, ironed and put everything into nice little piles. Took them into the bedroom and started packing. Got to destination, unpacked and realised my pile of t-shirts weren't there. There seemed to be no clothing shops anywhere on the island so had to manage with the one decent dress I had with me and my bikini tops with shorts. This is why I now have lists I tick as I pack

Serin · 05/05/2019 09:31

We put the 3 sleeping DC in the car and drove overnight to Cornwall.
Arrived at Penzance McDonalds in time for a breakfast mcmuffin only to find that neither of us had out any shoes in the car for any of the DC. They had only the slipper socks they were wearing.
We had to carry them into the shoe shopGrin

Disfordarkchocolate · 05/05/2019 09:38

My daughter was awful for this when she was young. Rural Scotland when she packed no pants meant a massive drive to the nearest children clothes shop. One time no shoes. I think she used holidays as an excuse to buy new stuff.

Saisong · 05/05/2019 09:44

Summer gite holiday with pool - forgot swimming stuff for me and DCs. Fortunately Carrefour had us covered.

Another summer holiday with early start - bundle kids into car in pjs and onesies only to find on arrival at ferry that one of them had got in car barefoot!! Fortunately had packed crocs, though buried deep in boot, so frantic digging around whilst in ferry queue. Carrefour again had to come up with the goods later 😂

Another time going to wedding, bags all in boot of car. DH decided to bring a water bottle for journey and threw it into nearest bag - which happened to be mine. Of course he hadn't sealed the bottle and it leaked all over my dress! Fortunately we had planned to arrive early and wedding was later in day and the dress was a synthetic material, so a couple of hours hanging in the bathroom with an extractor fan was adequate. Unfortunately i'd also forgotten my black bra, and the big white boulder holder I had on for comfort would have looked terrible. DH then redeemed himself by locating a lingerie shop in a nearby town then giving me carte blanche to source some lovely undies - bonus!

MyGastIsFlabbered · 05/05/2019 09:51

Camping for a week and I managed to forget to bring any t-shirts or tops for DCs. Blush

squiglet111 · 05/05/2019 10:00

Not me but friends of mine. Met for drinks and Friend A was going away on holiday to Ireland with her dad the next day. Friend B didn't have many plans that summer. As the night went on and more and more drinks were had they decided that friend B would join friend A as friend A dad was driving there. So about 2 AM in the morning they went to friend Bs house completely pissed to pack then back to friend As house to sleep before her dad picked them up the next morning. As they were both completely pissed from the night before they slept through alarms and friend A dad decided to leave when he couldn't contact friend A. So that ended their spontaneous trip away! When friend B got home and went to unpack she realised it was just as well as all she had packed was bikinis and flip flops... 😂😂

CigarsofthePharoahs · 05/05/2019 10:06

I am on the last day of a weekend break and am pajamaless. I always forget something.
I've made do with a snuggly jumper.