..to take half my house with me on holiday and STILL not get the packing right????

[tartanbaker]

We are in the UK on holiday with our car. I have a 4-page packing list on my computer, put together over many years, & covering all eventualities (with dogs/beach or city etc). I hate being without my familiar creature comforts, so bring my favourite tea mug, my pillow, etc etc etc - basically half my house, and I STILL end up topping up from Amazon Prime. My husband could literally come with one pair of shorts, 7 t-shirts , 7 pairs of underwear and a can of deodorant and that would be him done. I think he’s a lunatic. AIBU?!

@tartanbaker

Exactly!! I wonder whether anyone, in the history of the world, has ever done a perfect pack, missing nothing out and using every single thing they take? 🤔😂

I did this ONCE No idea how and never fine it before or since. It was a SC holiday to Cyprus about 14 years ago and I still don’t know how I did it.

Not quite the same but my partner and I (don't cohabit) go away for weekends a fair bit and have a little kit of decent whiskey tumblers and full sized mugs for the hotel room, just because I don't want to drink wine or whiskey out of a plastic water cup and those half sized squat cups you get in most are hopeless. Other than that though, I am more in the 'have I got my phone and wallet? All else can be dealt with from those'.

Driving to holiday does make me a lazy packer - but the bulkiest stuff is for my cat. Frequently end up with warm clothes and its hot - but one of my favourite T Shirts was a 50p charity shop buy on such a trip.

Worst omission ever was arriving and realising I'd forfotten my debit card - fortunately I was able to get a new one in a branch at a closeby town.

I take my cup on holiday. It has a lid so my DC doesn't spill my coffee if they jump on me in bed in the morning.

I find UK packing a lot trickier than for going abroad.
I went away with some friends last weekend Thu - Sun to the Lake District in a hotel.

All of us had huge bags with wet weather clothes, walking boots, stuff for the evening etc. Etc. I still didn't have enough as weather warmer than expected so my evening outfits were too warm.

I did a perfect pack once for both daughters. I was so proud. Never managed it since 😂. They went away with their dad and his girlfriend. But it wasn't the UK so super light was straightforward. They used every item of clothing but didn't need anything extra. It all fit in one backpack each, it was entirely mix n match with everything for a wedding reception too. His girlfriend thought I was some sort of packing genius.

Hoppinggreen and 3scape - you truly are packing geniuses!!

@Gorl

Bringing your own mug is a bit bonkers

Have you never seen a MN mug thread?

YABU.

Your husband seems to know how to pack and you don’t. Let him do it for the whole family.

Bringing your own mug and pillow to a holiday

I totally get the pillow. We arrived at our holiday apartment yesterday and today my neck is aching due to the uncomfortable pillows. Next stop Walmart for a proper pillow!

Its all part of the adventure for me. I don't want my holiday to be the same as home!! That's the whole point.

Exactly, @NalPolishRemover! My mother packs everything and it really gets on my nerves. I feel like shouting, "Live a little and drink tea from a different cup!" It's one step away from going on a package trip to Spain and watching Premiership football at El Red Lion pub...

episcomama ooh, how is it up there in the moral high ground?! Plenty of people go on package trips to Spain!! I certainly have, years ago, but I can categorically say that I would never watch a Premiership football match or go into anywhere resembling an El Red Lion pub!!

Camping is the worst, the car is stuffed to the rafters to live outdoors in a thin piece of fabric

Oh yes, I’ve never actually been camping, but I can imagine!

@tartanbaker

episcomama ooh, how is it up there in the moral high ground?! Plenty of people go on package trips to Spain!! I certainly have, years ago, but I can categorically say that I would never watch a Premiership football match or go into anywhere resembling an El Red Lion pub!!

We were on a package holiday in Spain walking past a pub with a tout outside, who's main method of trying to get us in his pub was "Oi, are you British? We're showing Coronation Street tonight" and was clearly very pleased about it! He looked incredulous when we told him we don't watch it at home, so why would we want to watch it on holiday?!

Different strokes for different folks though. If we were all the same it would be boring!

I still marvel that we once had a week in Paris and managed with 1 medium case each. No extras. Never been achieved before or since. Trouble is, I cant remember the secret!

I did manage to leave some of DH's clothes at Brussels Midi Station once. Totally my fault, long story, but it did reduce our luggage. Wouldn't recommend.

I really resent packing/unpacking and transporting stuff that I end up not using, so over the years I've got it down to a fine art and will absolutely definitely only take what we need.
But part of the fun for me is experiencing somewhere else, so I don't actually want it to be too much like home!

I can't pack for shit and we travel all the time. I got those packing cubes which ultimately just allows me to pack more stuff we don't use/need. Also I am always within a hairsbreath of being over the weight limit on each suitcase. I have to bring a luggage scale with me and pack and repack to get all our junk properly distributed between our suitcases so we don't go over the limit getting home. It's totally absurd! I always end up wearing the same one swimsuit and three dresses and everything else just sits.

To those of the 'phone and money is all I need' camp, may I add prescription medicine. DH and I have each forgotten ours (on different occasions) and that doesn't tend to improve the holiday fun; finding a pharmacy, and if necessary an emergency GP appointment aren't top of my desires when exploring a new place!

You have a 4 page packing list? What on earth are you packing?

My packing list is only 2 pages long and that's for a week's camping where we take everything including the kitchen sink.

If I go abroad I can do 12kg for 2 weeks. There's enough clothes to mix & match, & sometimes I have a few unworn items. This didn't come easy to me though, it's taken years of stress & practice. I used to do a mock pack 6 months before I went, unpack, pack ... until I went. Then there was the trying on, & photos sessions, I know. I'd take 14 sets of clothes for day wear, & 14 for evening. Now I usually wear shorts & tops twice, or sometimes thrice, a dress for dinner can be worn 3-4 times as it's only worn for a few hours.

Now UK holidays are a lot more difficult due to the weather & what to wear. I can usually do 7-8kg for both of us for 3-4 days. I take a water bottle with me, but I don't think that's as bad as a mug. Do you want to go on holiday OP? I travel for new experiences, & as much as I love my home there's no way that it's coming along with me on holiday.

I to had a packing list when I used to have to pack for self catering family holidays.
I’m divorced. Kids left home now. No list needed!
Your doing it as your doing all the emotional labour to predict everyone’s needs for the entire holiday including dogs. I used to argue to family my list was not bonkers- like yours it developed over the years and meant I was not left with all the thinking of what needed to be packaged the day before we left- just prohibited it out and started gathering/ticking off- simple 🤣

You can afford to pack way too much stuff if you’re driving to your accommodation. I’m in the “passports, tickets, money, phone” camp when it comes to flying, especially now that Sleazyjet has reduced its cabin bag size.

I’d also add, I used to travel abroad for work about 30% of my time. I had a full set of toiletries, electrical items, essential docs, undies, shoes and basic clothes etc pre loaded in suitcase at all times. As I unpacked when I got home, I’d top up any toiletries needed ( I would dispense into smaller travel bottles), wash the clothes and put back into suitcase ready for next trip. That way I did not ruin my weekends before travelling spending time thinking about what I needed. I used to just add a few blouses/tops and a jacket to ring the changes for each visit .

This is why I'm grateful that supermarkets sell everything nowadays!

I always pack too much of the things I think I need and forget or have too little of the things I actually need.

Despite having a packing list I change because it's proven to be wrong