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 can’t vote because I do both,
short trip = live out of case and hang up crease-prone items only
longer stay (over 5 nights) = unpack

Weekend away - we don’t bother unpacking.

2 week holiday - we do a rapid unpack and hang things in wardrobes and put stuff in drawers. I don’t like looking at suitcases for 2 weeks, so they get put away too. I love putting the hundred lotions and potions I’ve taken on the bathroom shelves. Very satisfying.

I think you'd have to stay somewhere nice enough that they read the care instructions. I don't think I've ever considered that much variation in temperature. Knitwear or other specific items might be put on an occasional special wash. Everything else is either 60 (towels and sheets) or (30/40). When DH does the laundry everything is in at 60 and I do some praying.

I don't unpack as it is a pointless task.
I use packing cubes so all my clothes are pre-sorted before I go. I may hang up a dress on the outside of the warbrobe. It's not my home so I feel no need to treat it as such. This way I never leave anything behind.

Do you use the dedicated holiday toiletries again?
Somewhere in my house I've got a million miniatures from holidays and hospital bags.

I unpack if it’s longer than a day or so. I find it easier, but the main issue is that if I was away with DH and we lived out of a suitcase, he’d just upend everything and the suitcases would be a complete guddle within 24 hours. We mix our stuff between suitcases in case one goes missing/gets delayed in transit again.

I don’t think it takes long to unpack/pack though. We use packing cubes and I tend to put dirty clothes in them as I go along (one for darks, one for lights etc.), and then it’s just a matter of chucking them in the suitcase when they’re full. That makes unpacking at home easier too - dirty clothes are already sorted and go straight from packing cubes to washing machine.

This Stackers bag is amazing. It holds so much, really neatly and securely. I also have the makeup bag with the zipped jewellery compartment at the base.

You're both U to me. I wouldn't want to have to go rooting through my case all the time like you do, but what on earth is she doing if it takes an hour to unpack and an hour to pack? Takes me ten minutes to stick my stuff on hangers and in drawers and maybe 15 to put everything back in the case afterwards.
There's a relatively small amount of possessions to deal with, there's empty space for them and at the end everything belonging to you goes back in the bag. It's a doddle of a job compared to packing and unpacking at home.

I do. I don’t take small quantities of anything. Which is probably why my luggage weighs so much and we have to fly premium economy for the extra allowance.

I'm enjoying this as a concept - needing to go premium for the extra toiletries!

I have to unpack or I’d spend so much more time rummaging round in my suitcase all holiday!

I’m away at the moment for 3 nights and have unpacked and hung everything up/put away. It took no longer than 5 minutes and it will take the same to re-pack when I leave. What on earth is your sister doing for so long? Or could you be exaggerating to
justify leaving everything in your case?

I've said YANBU because I leave my clothes in the case and have rhe dirty washing carrier bag like you.

I do unpack toiletries, make up etc. when I get there. I don't want to be faffing around looking for a toothbrush at bedtime. "Unpacking" therefore takes about 5 mins!

Maybe if we went on a 2 week holiday somewhere I'd actually unpack but we rarely go away for more than 4-5 days so just not worth it.

I like that at the point of writing this the vote is 50/50 like you thought 😊
I’m a live out of the suitcase gal but I wish I was an unpacker!

I voted YABU as I do unpack, but actually I use packing cubes which I organise into categories like kids shorts and t’s, my tops, my bottoms, undies and swimwear, etc so taking those out and sticking them in the drawers then shoving toiletries in bathroom takes me about 10 minutes.
I can’t stand having to live out of a suitcase though.

Used to unpack but since an encounter with bedbugs, I leave everything in the suitcase (sealed), as much as possible.

Same. I actually dislike unpacking, but find it less annoying than having to root around in a case whenever I want something. I want the bags under the bed out of my way!

Depends how much space you actually have to unpack? Often storage is crap. Also I with my kids I barely get the chance to sit down let alone unpack.

I’m an unpacker - takes a few minutes
Even quicker packing on leaving as I just throw in case

Yanbu, loads of people don’t unpack.

Bit of both.. hang up evening dresses. Toiletries in a hanging bag on the door.. everything else stays in the case, worn bagged on onesie, clean folded on the other

I don't usually unpack, partly because I tend to stay in quite basic self-catering places that often have minimal furniture, but even if there is hanging room I don't really bother. If possible I'll hang things that would benefit from being hung up and at least slightly de-crumpled (linen/light cotton stuff etc), but underwear, jumpers, swimwear etc doesn't matter.

This comment is hilarious: Personally I think it’s really gross and unhygienic to have dirty clothes on top of clean ones, even if they are in a plastic bag (what happens if your knickers spill out the bag??)
The MN capacity for catastrophising keeps on amazing me. I have never known a pair of knickers in a bag to take it upon themselves to spill out
And even if a pair of worn knickers DID animate themselves and escape their bag to land temporarily on an item of clean clothing, what on earth is the big deal? Unless the knickers were covered in bodily fluids that could transfer to the clean stuff, which I think is unlikely.

Aha 50/50 split call was bang on OP!

I unpack as I like to feel like I’m living in my new little home. But it doesn’t take long. I have a toiletries bag, straight away hang in bathroom, then hang nice clothes, put underwear/swimwear together in a drawer and then t shirts, jeans etc folded in another drawer. Make up and hot brush go where there’s a space and some good lighting!

Repacking just gets chucked in the case any old way.

I unpack I hate living out my case looking through it trying to find stuff. I stayed in a hotel once only storage there was were bedside tables. So just had to put our underwear and socks in there. Also stayed with ex’s family in Ireland in the middle of nowhere. Me and two dc slept on a an inflatable mattress in the living room for a week. I had taken a massive case for all our clothes which we had to just dump in the hallway. Hated having to route through it all the time. A lot of the clothes I had spent time ironing had got creased. There was no room in the bedrooms as was a 3 bed bungalow and they have 6 DC.

Unpack - then empty suitcase becomes dirty washing bag.