..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?!

This is mental. Why on earth would you take a mug on holiday.

I pack relatively light but I almost always bring a mug!

@tartanbaker

Mrsjayy oh well, the weather has been better than I thought it would be, so i bought some shorts as I only had denim cut-offs, I forgot my reading sunglasses so a pair of those, & then the battery ran out on the car key fob so I had to send off for one of those too! One of the dogs keeps barking overnight (strange place, I guess), & the neighbour complained, so I got an anti-barking collar to try and keep her quiet at night ( it just vibrates when they bark), and the other one chewed her lead under the table during one pub meal and I didn’t bring spares, so I had to get a new one of those too!!!

Most of those things couldn't have been predicted though. I mean, surely you're not suggesting you should have packed a spare battery for the key fob and an anti bark collar just in case?

I've got a laptop rucksack that must have been previously owned by Mary Poppins.

MIL keeps buying us travel bags of increasing sizes for holidays, many of which with carry straps. I couldn't fill them, let alone carry them once they're filled.

But I'm lazy AF when it comes to my wardrobe. A pair of light trousers, shorts and a skirt. Two dresses. A few tops and underwear. Sandals that go with everything. All take up about half the rucksack, and I wear trainers and any coat needed. It helps that I run hot temperature wise, and rarely need many layers.

Ummm, no, that was exactly my point to MrsJayy ……

Oops, sorry, that was to RubyFowler

@Mrbob

This is mental. Why on earth would you take a mug on holiday.

I ALWAYS take a mug, they might have mugs that are too small, or those horrid glass ones that make tea taste weird. The horror!

That's a lot of stuff to pack - ok if you're going by car but what if you are flying?! I got into packing lightly when I was taking babies/toddlers abroad on my own.

I could put my list on here, but it would only give people more of an excuse to be rude about it and I LOVE my list!! 🤣 It basically has different reminder bits for ‘if with the dogs, don’t forget…’, ‘if going to a beach, don’t forget…’ ‘if my back is bad, don’t forget…’etc. For all the amateur psychologists out there, yup, I totally know it’s OTT and a bit anal and totally control freakish (not OCD-ish, as I think that’s a bit disrespectful to people with that genuine, horrible issue) but that’s me, & as far as I know it’s not illegal, & that’s just the way I like it! As HopeHappy says, if we were all the same it would be boring!!

@tartanbaker

Ummm, no, that was exactly my point to MrsJayy ……

Yeah, so your packing was fine then. You did a good job.

I’m with you op! I always take mug, pillow and a mattress topper if going to a caravan as the mattresses are so bad in a caravan. Always regret leaving something at home so add to list next time. I vacuum pack lots of things to increase space!!

Thank you!! 🙌🏼🙌🏼

Oops, I keep doing that - that was to Ruby Fowler

Having just been on a week self-catering I managed easily with a small cabin bag, a tote and a bag for walking boots/shoes. No need in future drag a bigger suitcase out. Didn’t even wear half of it and had washing machine so everything clean to come home with!

@Hullaballoonexperience

I’m with you op! I always take mug, pillow and a mattress topper if going to a caravan as the mattresses are so bad in a caravan. Always regret leaving something at home so add to list next time. I vacuum pack lots of things to increase space!!

I have actually taken a flat sheet with me to a couple of places recently, as I move so much at night & the sheets in rental places never seem to be big enough to stay put on the bed! I have added a couple of things to the list this time too - wetsuit (new this time), and a proper ankle brace for my dodgy ankle which I always manage to turn over on a coastal path! 🤦🏻‍♀️

I pack light even for camping trips in the arse end of nowhere - I don't bring anything I don't absolutely have to carry on my back.

DP, however, is terrible. After I've packed (about four days beforehand), he'll start adding extras whilst I'm at work and by about 3am before we leave, he's trying to fill four IKEA bags with more shite to go with the second crappy backpack and three coats he thinks he needs. We have never needed anything he has packed, and I was pretty irate after the time I had to leave early and trusted him to bring back my £130 sleeping bag whikst I took the tent - he left it behind because it was 'too hard' for him to carry it as well as the extra crap he'd packed and never used.

I will always opt to travel light rather than be bogged down with Stuff.

When in Europe (Italy, France...Im looking at you) we just drink tea out of bowls, rather than the tiny cups. It's part of the fun!

I'm not a light packer .....and don't get me started on how many pairs of pants I pack for a long weekend 😂😂😂

I was on a plane between NZ and Aust and a guy got on wearing a shirt, t-shirt, shorts and flip flops, with a toothbrush and passport sticking out of the shirt pocket. That's what I call efficient packing. Wallet was probably in his back pocket🤔

Only four pages? Amateur!

I have travelled by myself with just a (decent sized) handbag for weekends away, but once the dc arrived I needed to plan for every eventuality.

I’d probably have got over that raging anxiety but ds has autism and it’s just easier all round to maintain familiarity where we can.

Dh is a kindred spirit though. He leaves the packing list to me but a military campaign wouldn’t be planned as meticulously as our holidays. There’s even a binder!

@thelegohooverer

Only four pages? Amateur!

I have travelled by myself with just a (decent sized) handbag for weekends away, but once the dc arrived I needed to plan for every eventuality.

I’d probably have got over that raging anxiety but ds has autism and it’s just easier all round to maintain familiarity where we can.

Dh is a kindred spirit though. He leaves the packing list to me but a military campaign wouldn’t be planned as meticulously as our holidays. There’s even a binder!

Haha, love that!!! 💕