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?!

I’m well aware you CAN buy it.

But I don’t want to. I have sensitive skin, so like to travel with things I know won’t irritate me. I’m also in the middle of an eczema flare and don’t want to worsen that.

Im also travelling solo. So I like to know I have things for the worst case scenario (cold & flu tablets, anti diarrhoea, anti sickness etc), because if something gets me in the middle of the night I won’t have someone who can look for an all day pharmacy for me.

I'm more puzzled by the people who won't put their bag in the hold because they think you'll wait ages to pick it up again.

Also the people who think all AI hotels are in the middle of nowhere so you can't leave the hotel without driving for ages.

Neither are true in my experience.

If you are staying in hotels, you don't need soap, shampoo, conditioner or shower gel, as they are all provided.
I take a travel toothbrush (foldable) and small toothpaste, small deodorant, nail scissors, razor, mozzie spray, sticking plasters, Nurofen, probably sun cream. Oh, and small packs of tissues and wipes. That's it - what else could I need? In case of illness, there is always a pharmacy around somewhere. Take things like tablets out of the cardboard packs.

While there’s a lot of overkill in OP’s collection of stuff - and those of others - she’s said she has sensitive skin and is prone to eczema, so she does need her own shower and hair wash products. I take my own shampoo and conditioner (decanted into small bottles) for this reason.

I do take travel sized stuff (got a stash of it) and anything extra I take the full sized version. But I also buy stuff if I need it when I’m out there. I needed to buy sanitary towels once in Barcelona but they were better than English ones! From a chemist. It is a pain that most foreign supermarkets don’t sell medicines but I take them with me or buy at the pharmacy.

An eczema flare up and sensitive skin you do need your normal preparations so perhaps you could put off buying the emergency flu/sickness stuff until you get to your destination. Last time I was abroad which is very rare, I know, we found the French medicine for DD's sore throat/tonsils was far superior to anything we've been able to get in the UK, as was the woman behind the counter's knowledge, but I think our pharmacists are finally catching up

If you get ill in the middle of the night, you do what the rest of us do, ride it out until the morning.

Im also travelling solo. So I like to know I have things for the worst case scenario (cold & flu tablets, anti diarrhoea, anti sickness etc), because if something gets me in the middle of the night I won’t have someone who can look for an all day pharmacy for me.

What exactly are cold and flu tablets, surely you just mean paracetamol?? And why do you think another adult is going to go rushing out in the middle of night for some anti sickness - just ride it out

I mean this kindly OP - do you normally suffer from anxiety?

You are taking all of that with you on holiday and you still have to get more?? How long will you be gone? Will you be in the middle of the sahara desert?

Got less stuff than in that picture in my normal bathroom cupboard 🤣

Cold and flu? Surely you’ve heard of them?

And yes if I was travelling with someone else and got diarrhoea I’d expect them out to get Imodium so I could carry on with my day.

Yes I have heard of cold and flu they are virus that cause unpleasant symptoms.

Which are normally solved by two paracetamols and and a dose of man the @@@@ up!

If you have diarrhoea unless you,re travelling home, you're better letting it go naturally

You said in the night!

@TheOctopus stay at home love

Yes! You go out and get it during the night so that the days aren’t affected.

Clearly you have nothing productive to add to this thread, but I do hope you’ve had fun.

Just because people disagree with you and point out the ridiculousness of it all, doesn't mean you get to tell people what is and isn't productive.

And no if it happens at night, you ride it out like a normal person

I don't think you're being unreasonable, but you probably have a packing+anxiety problem.

When I go away, I put the things I use daily into my wash bag (hair clay, shampoo, soap, lenses, solution, face wash, daycand night creams, serums etc plus my meds. If anything looks like it would run out, I take a new product. I just go to the bathroom and put it in the bag.
In another bag I usually take suncreams and aftersun, paracetamol and a first aid kit.
DS has a washbag with toothbrush and paste DD packs her stuff in her washbag. My wife packs what she needs. If we need anything else we get it from a supermarket. Don't think we've ever got anything apart from extra suncream.

And if I did have a bit of anxiety, so what? It doesn’t affect anyone else as I am travelling solo.

Having anxiety isn't a bad thing. I didn't mean it in a negative way. I suppose just take what you need daily, plus the usual meds kids might need. When I've driven through France to holiday with just the kids a few years ago, I did the same, but packed the kids' stuff as they were younger. Anyway, enjoy the trip😀

I'd be a bit cautious about taking tablets out of their original packaging. Never carry loose tablets in unlabelled bags or bottles. You'll probably be okay for common over-the-counter medications out of the box but still in labelled blister packs. For anything more exotic or prescription-only, check they aren't subject to restrictions at your destination and carry them in the original packaging, which should be labelled with your name. If you're carrying controlled drugs (e.g., opioid painkillers) then you may also need to take a copy of your prescription, a letter from a medical professional, and/or an export licence from the government of the country you're travelling to.

For me:
. Sprained ankle
. Painful mozzie bites
. The last holiday I went on this year, I developed an abscess

Travel sized spray anti perspirants don't last a week on holiday. I shower twice a day. I don't like the feel of other types on my body

Are you having a stroke ?

Why are you taking a whole pharmacy?

paracetamol
iboprofen
rennies
a few plasters
some antiseptic cream
any specific medication you need
any daily vitamins you take
(depending where you are going you may need insect repellent)

Then toiletries you need .5-1 bottle of sun cream per person per week (if you like to sunbathe you need a full bottle, if you don’t then a half bottle will do)
any personal face creams etc
soap
shampoo
conditioner
deodorant

You don’t need to pack for a weeks worth of being poorly and you certainly don’t need 2 different types of blister plasters. Unless you are going in a hiking holiday?