to think that actually, no "everyone" does NOT unpack on holiday!

[PyongyangKipperbang]

My sister and I have very different views on this!

She and I have gone away many times, always for a week.

She always spends a good hour or so unpacking, setting stuff out etc on arrival and then a couple of hours repacking before we leave. I just live out of my bag/case and dirty clothes folded into a plastic bag when I take them off to chuck back in the case at the end of the week. Repacking takes less than half an hour. The only item I unpack is my "going out" dress, of which I only take one.

She thinks I am abnormal as "everyone unpacks!" I think its probably more like a 50/50 split and when you only have a week, time is of the essence so I prefer to use the time to holiday (made up verb of the week) than fanny about putting my knickers and socks in a drawer!

YABU - I unpack!
YANBU - I live out of my case!

I travel frequently for work for varying lengths of time as well as go away for leisure. My rule of thumb is 1-2 nights don’t unpack apart from hanging items suit, dress, coat and rest stays in suitcase apart from toiletries. Three or more nights I unpack and make myself more at home in the accommodation. I also use a laundry bag and add as I go. Packing and repacking only takes 15 minutes, how much are others taking with them to take a couple of hours?

I think it very much depends.
I was on holiday last September and the first placed I stayed at didn't have any hanging space for dresses or any drawers, so I did not really unpack apart from bathers and bathroom stuff. However, in December the circumstances were different, so I unpacked completely.
Currently staying some where for 2 nights and am not really unpacking.
Very happy to unpack if there are good hanging and storage options, but otherwise, unless I am somewhere for a long time, I just get out what I know I am going to need immediately and take it from there.

I always unpack and I always then put the cases out of view so there’s less reminders of leaving!

It's never occured to me that people don't unpack. That’s a spectacular level of laziness. That would drive me insane. I use packing cubes, and yes, I unpack.

Def unpack. Hate living out of a suitcase.

If I'm staying somewhere with storage space, I will chuck the clothes in there on the first day.
Then I use the empty suitcase as a dirty clothes basket. Thus gradually "packing" as time passes.

For a week I would unpack assuming there are places to unpack. For 1-2 nights I definitely wouldn't. For 3-6 it would depend what I had packed and where I was. It would take me about 10 minutes at most.

The only time I made a point of unpacking, putting everything into drawers etc (in a nice hotel), we ended up with bed bugs! Obviously it could have been anything but in my heart I feel like it was having all my things in all the nooks and crannies of that hotel room. Keep it in your suitcase except for things that need hanging, I say!

Not only do I unpack but also pack some antibacterial wipes and give the draws a wipe round before putting the clothes in. I know i am an absolute freak, but I'm happy and DH just let's me get on with it whilst he takes the kids. 😅

I unpack but it takes me about 10-15 mins.

I don’t unpack, partly because it increases the chances I’ll leave something behind

We usually don't bother unpacking. However this year, our cottage had great furniture which had us hanging up our shirts.
From the bottom up: drawer, strong shelf to put suitcase on, rail with hooks and hangers, shelf. No doors.
I can't find the exact thing online (what I can see is not as sturdy, or good-looking, or wide enough for a larger suitcase), but I'd definitely recommend this sort of thing to anyone kitting out a B&B or holiday cottage.

We didn't unpack before kids and whilst I didn't like it , it wasn't too bad to manage. I did repack the case several times so defeated the purpose. We are a family of 5 now and if we've gone for a weekend away we live out of the bags. If we are abroad for a week then yes, I unpack everyone's stuff in about 15 mins. It's so much easier to keep everything organised and tidy and be able to get the kids ready for the day. I much prefer it to rummaging in a heavy suitcase several times a day.

So I would say you do you but I agree with your sister although not the length of time she takes! I don't know how much stuff she can have that it takes her an hour to unpack one person's stuff? It sounds like she considers it an event and in that case I would leave her to it and head to check out the hotel without her.

'To holiday' is a verb, not sure why you think it's made up.

I will hang up the few things that need it, and toiletries go in the bathroom etc but otherwise I prefer to leave most things in my bags - can’t stand clothes absorbing the smell of cupboards and drawers that aren’t my own.

Why does it matter? Really, are just wanting to pick a fight with your sister, and this is the pretext? Why don’t you find a proper hobby?

I have to fully unpack, put the suitcase away and then DH irons anything that needs ironing!

The last hotel I stayed in didn’t really have anywhere to unpack: just a couple of hangers on a hanging thing and no chest of drawers - so I hung up a couple of dresses and left the rest in my case. I have a laundry bag in which to put worn clothes, so they stay separate from the clean stuff. If there’s a big wardrobe, I’ll mostly unpack, but I’m not obsessive about it.

I unpack, it really doesn’t take long to take clothes out and put them in drawers then toiletry bag goes in the bathroom

but I use the suitcase as the laundry so I pack worn / dirty clothes back in the case as I go so by the end of the week everything is basically repacked and toiletry bag goes back in.

it really is the best way of all

I think I’m more of a mix of you both. I unpack but it takes a couple of minutes not an hour. I take bin liners with me and use one for any dirty clothes throughout the holiday. So packing is just tying the bin liner closed, putting it in the bottom of my suitcase/bag and then everything else goes round it. Takes a few minutes to pack. When I get home the clean/good stuff goes back where it belongs, the bin liner gets emptied into the washing machine and the suitcase/backpack goes into the cupboard under the stairs so I’m unpacked and the wash is on usually within 30 minutes of being home.

My DH is naturally tidy and unpacks.

I am not, and don't unpack.

Although for me it's the thought of putting my belongings in drawers where countless other people have had their things, creeps me out!

At least one packing cube comes out of my case and my dopp kit comes out of the case and gets hung up in the bathroom.

I don’t take everything out of the packing cubes though. We often stay in multiple hotels on our trips and it would be such a waste of time to completely unpack and repack in each hotel. Dirty stuff goes into its own bag or cube until it’s time to either do laundry or pack to come home.

I’m too lazy to unpack. Dirty clothes in a carrier as well

YANBU OP, I never unpack when going away - unlike my DH, who basically relocates into drawers, wardrobe, bathroom…everything!!! It all makes me feel very uncomfortable TBH!!! I like to think that if anything happened and we needed to leave the hotel suddenly, I could essentially shut my suitcase & be ready - unlike DH!

This is what clamshell suitcases were invented for!

I never unpack for less than 8 days.