I’ve got all these holiday toiletries but still somehow have nothing!

[everylittlethingis]

I go away in three weeks. I like to take everything away with me because the last thing I want to be doing is running to a pharmacy to grab paracetamol or something.

I have somehow accumulated all of this during the last couple of months but also somehow have nothing. No meds or anything like that.

Both airports have the 2L rule as opposed to the 100ml.

AIBU to still feel entirely lost?!

Even travel sized, that is a ridiculous amount to take for 8 days, your choice, but bloody hell,

Wouldn't you just drink water, soft drinks or beer?

Jesus. I don’t use most of that anywhere! I certainly wouldn’t want to lug it around on hols.
A permanent list is really helpful though. I have one in my notes too.

Good old water isn't enough nowadays to keep you hydrated? Throw in a coke and pint now and again?

I was thinking the same, what is wrong with water, the odd coke and a pint? Bloody electrolyte powders??!!

Yes! I have some on the way!

Use several of what? A travel size shower gel, shampoo, conditioner etc is plenty for a week. The only thing I use more than 100 ml of is sunscreen because I burn easily and spend a lot of time walking around and then on the beach and in the sea.

Are you the same poster that posted a very long list of toiletries a little while ago?

If so you are overthinking.

If not, you are overthinking. Go and look for the thread.

How do you think people in Europe live day to day? Not with bloody electrolyte powder!
Christ on a bloody bike

You're bloody mad!

Well, I’m 61 and I’ve never needed hydration powders on holiday, even walking hols in hot places. Just drink water and other beverages!
i take
Shampoo
conditioner
Body wash
face wash
Body moisturiser
face moisturiser
Perfume
tweezers
nail clippers
blister plasters and moleskin to prevent the blisters in the first place
and a selection of painkillers - ibuprofen. Co coda PLP and literal eve (for soecific conditions I know I’ll need to treat in any random week)
If going to a mozzie ish place I also take insect repellent and anti histamine/hydrocortisone because I’m allergic to the bites.

Great thinking @everylittlethingis .
I was advised by my Italian family to bring some, they regularly use Polase electrolytes in the summer to stay hydrated 👌

And here's me thinking this was what Radler was for.

Electrolyte drinks are booming – but do you actually need them? - BBC Food says no.

Never heard anything so ridiculous in my life

You're out and about across Europe. You can absolutely pop in and buy extra whatever should you need it. Much easier than lugging it about surely? Unless you have allergies to common things or complex medical.needs, surely you can just get it as needed. Also thin linen tops and trousers would lessen the need for sun cream

Leave the duplicates at home for a start.

That's a huge weight you're setting up to carry as you say "across Europe" (so it sounds as though you'll be on the move).

Is it a driving holiday?

I've travelled alone and with kids (without another adult) and even when packing for myself plus three small children I never took anywhere near that much!

Take out the duplicates and add in a small packet of ibuprofen and one of antihistamines.

Water is "perfectly adequate" to keep your body well hydrated day to day.She goes on to say, though, that if you've lost a significant amount of fluid and electrolytes (through excessive sweating, prolonged exercise or vomiting, say) drinks containing sodium can help the body absorb and retain fluid better than plain water.So if Op is sweating excessively due to heat and prolonged physical activity (eg. sightseeing ancient ruins), electrolytes will be beneficial for them 🤷‍♀️@everylittlethingis if you do decide not to bring the majority and buy there instead, be mindful that a lot of stores close for siesta in the middle of the day and majority of places are shut on Sundays in several mainland European countries. And if you find somewhere open, it will be significantly more expensive.

So will drinking water, having an ice cream then a bloody beer!

I'd take 'prolonged physical activity' to mean running a marathon, rather than wandering around some ruins, which is something I do often on holiday and never felt the need for electrolytes. In any case, most people already consume plenty of sodium.

Take plenty of painkillers. They are so expensive abroad and only can buy them in pharmacies.
Also sun tan lotion. Costs €18 for a bottle of SPF 50. You can buy 4 bottles of Lidl’s own for the same price.

What is it you're doing abroad that means you will need plenty of pain killers?

I'm off on holiday in a couple of weeks. I'm taking a toothbrush, toothpaste, dental floss, antiperspirant deodorant, sunscreen, paracetamol and a good general moisturiser. There'll be soap/shower gel/shampoo at the hotel. If I need first aid supplies I'll ask at reception.

Honestly, if you're this overwhelmed about planning what to take on a simple summer holiday then I have to wonder whether you'd be better off staying at home and saving the stress!

I would take:

A mini shampoo (I usually decant my own into a mini bottle)
A mini conditioner (ditto)
A small amount of the one hairstyling product I use
Face cleanser
Face serum
Moisturiser with SPF for day
Cheap bland night cream in a tube for night
Sunscreen for body
A mini spray sunscreen for my face to top up over makeup
Deodorant, toothpaste, floss, tampons obviously

I don't bother with shower gel because hotels provide that and I don't bother with body lotion because I'm wearing sun cream every day.

Makeup-wise I take an easy foundation/base - usually a stick or a tube - a small concealer, a mascara, a brow pencil, one eyeshadow crayon, one eyeliner pencil and one lip-and-cheek product.

In terms of pharmacy stuff I take a hand sanitiser, a mosquito repellent and a packet of ibuprofen or paracetamol, purely because they're often expensive in continental Europe. I might take blister plasters as they're incredibly easy to pop into your pocket, but otherwise I'd buy them there if I needed them.

Anything else I can pop into a pharmacy for, as pretty much every town in Europe is going to have at least one pharmacy and cities have dozens of them that are very easy to find and use. Local pharmacists also tend to know the best locally available/recommended products - for example, when I needed cream for insect bites in Italy the pharmacist immediately produced a brilliant one which isn't even sold in the UK and was miles more effective than the ones I use at home.

For 8 days?! Wow.

Why do you need so much stuff?