If you have successfully packed within the 15kg luggage allowance for a 1 week holiday then step this way...

[boredandrestless]

....and please give me a packing list!

Me and DS both have the 15kg luggage each, and a 5kg hand luggage each.
1 week hol to tunisia
Need to take beach towels (2 each) and PULL UPS (these will def bump up the luggage weight.
I don't know what to pack!

Am considering those superlight Sub-zero cases, anyone used these?

That is loads of luggage! 15kg each, My bag, for me, is usually about 9kg.

What on earth are you plannning on taking?!

1x beach towel
2x swimmers
underwear
2x shorts
2x skirts
a few t shirts/tops
2x dresses
1x nightie
a bag of toiletries

done

whoops forgot sarong - acts as something too sit on at pool/beach, cover up to wear and sunshade...

How old is DS?

Why do you need four beach towels?

Pull ups are not heavy.

Do you have some information about the hotel? Is it near somewhere you can buy toiletries, for instance?

You'll only need fair weather gear. No jumpers, coats etc. One pair of shoes on your feet, another pair in luggage.

Make a pile of all the things you think you'll need to pack, then halve it.

:o

Take clothes that you can wash out in hotel room ie things that don't need ironing and that dry out quickly.

Are you sure you must take beach towels?? Hotels usually provide them.

DD1 and I will be doing this soon too. In the past, we've easily done four of us for a fortnight on about 45kg all told, so it should be easy. My problem is always that I want to take a dozen books as well!

My list will be something like -
one beach towel (and will rinse it out every couple of evenings - will take a baby bottle of handwash stuff)
2 bikinis
2 pairs of shorts
2 skirts
1 sarong
1 beach cover up type thing
2 vest dresses
5 vest tops
1 maxi dress (which I will prob wear to travel in)
2 'nicer' dresses
flip flops
1 pair sandals (which I will probably wear to travel in)
tiny nightie
underwear
suncream
mini bottles of shampoo etc
make up
as many books as possible to make the weight up to 15kg (and at least 2 books in the 5kg carry on)!

Will make sure that everything can mix and match colour wise and will prob wear each thing twice (and can wash bits if needed anyway).

If it's a beach holiday then you'll use far fewer outfits than you'd expect as you'll be in swimming costumes so much of the time.

Don't take toys and books apart from one (or two) exceptionally essential things.

Less is more! It's much easier travelling with light cases than heavy ones.

I'm clueless simply because I can't think in weight - we usually holiday in blighty or go by coach/train so have never had to weigh it before. Am i worrying unnecessarily then?

I was worried the beach towels wouldn't dry out quick enough? DS loves the water and it will be a constant round of pool, beach, pool, beach, and on and on.

It is a beachfront location. Hotel provide towels for the room but not pool/beach towels. Not sure on shops nearby, will ask on tripadvisor.

It'll be scorching - towels will dry v quickly.

Pull ups do seem heavy? They aren't little toddler sized pull ups he's in 9-10 clothes. I will weigh a pack later and see how heavy they are as maybe I am just stressing too much.

Ok, I see where you are coming from.

Firstly, check all your cases. Some weigh as much as 5Kg before you put anything in them. Use your bathroom scales to check (weigh yourself then yourself plus case) or a spring balance if you have one. Consider buying or borrowing a really light case.

Towels will dry very quickly indeed. A sarong can double up as a beach towel at a pinch and weighs nothing.

My rough and ready guide is that if I can carry it easily then it is about 13Kg.

It will be easy.

We go for 2 weeks to a hot place every year and only take 3 cases between 5 of us.

Will post a list later, just off to work.

Decant all your toiletries into little bottles. For just one week you need very little. Anything you need lots of, buy in duty free (suncream?) or out there.

Travel wearing the heavy stuff, whether that be jeans and walking boots or maxi dress and cardi. Jewellery and accessories can add up too, if you've eg got a "statement" necklace, wear it on the plane.

A travel washing line is a good buy: you can pack less if you know you can wash in the sink each night and hang it up to dry.

Work out what your lightest clothes are (cotton shirts? Really thin vests?) and pack a couple more of those "free" items to make up for the heavy stuff you aren't taking. You probably won't wear them, but you'll at least feel there's a choice!

Really don't pack much for your DS. If he's in the pool all day, he only needs 2 or 3 outfits and he'll be wearing one of those to travel in.

We got some of the travel towels; They are microfibre so they are really light, pack up small and dry really quickly.

Thanks for tips.

Enorma a list would be really helpful if you get time.

Not heard of those travel towels but they sound fab! Already have beach towels though so don't want to spend money if I don't have to. Would rather concentrate on taking a good combination of clothing without overpacking I think.

Already have some little bottles of shampoo and showergel, just one of each. If I run out will buy more there and bin or pass on remainder.

I think I am going to buy us a lightweight suitcase each. DS doesn't have one anyway and mine is rather heavy!

Don't forget a little bottle of really rich conditioner - the sun/sea etc are not kind to hair!

Ditch the beach towels.

If there are loungers, just lie on a sarong type cloth, or buy one of those v cheap straw beach mats each for the beach. Use a tiny towel like a handtowel to wipe off most of the wet.

Beach towels are heavy, bulky, hard to hand wash and wring out, slow to dry, and smell because the salt and lotion goes musty on them. I haven't used a beach towel since I was about 15!

Hi, I am an expert packer I think!

DH, DD (3) and I went for 1 week to Egypt at Easter and managed one 14kg case between the 3 of us!

We bought a small luggage scale from poundland to make sure.

I took:
3 dresses
2 skirts
4 vest tops
2 pairs shorts
1 pair linen trousers
2 bikinis
2 pairs sandals
underwear
very small toiletries/make up
travel hair dryer
hair straightners
kindle

I travelled in cropped trousers/t-shirt/cardi/jewellery

I packed lightly for dd as well - no nappies which of course helps the weight (but you could use your hand luggage for them perhaps?)

5 t-shirts
3 vests
3 pairs shorts
3 dresses
2 pairs sandals
underwear
she travelled in her only cardi and longer trousers

DH hardly takes any clothes on holiday!

In the hand luggage (5kg each) we took dvd player, camera, charger etc plus a couple of toys/books and teddy/blanket.

We also looked on tripadvisor and saw that the hotel provide towels so didn't bother, but you definitely don't need 2 each - ours dried in about half an hour!

I bought us both a lightweight suitcase each, the sub zero G ones, they only weigh something like 2kg each. Got them delivered and they look huge!

I'm now thinking I can probably get away with just using one suitcase for us both - I'm assuming I can combine our weight allowance so its one suitcase with 30kg or less in??

Thanks for your lists TheHappyCamper, they are really helpful.

Check with the airline if you can combine the weights. Some won't take over a certain weight bag due to the fact that luggage handlers have to handle them manually.

We go away for 10 days at a time with just a 10kg hand luggage each at 50cm x 20cm x 35 cm. It just takes a bit of planning what to wear, and tbh dp has nearly 2 bags of his stuff, the kids sstuff share one and i have one, becuase dps stuff is just so much bigger than ours per item, and i can pack a sundress whereas he needs trousers etc.

30kg in one bag is heavy. Very heavy. Last time I travlled with proper size suitcases, the cases were 4kg each, I put tons of stuff in including shoes, books, toiletries etc, and they still were under 20k packed.

Agree with others about the beach towellsl just take old thin ones if you must take towells for the beach (or nip to matalan/primark theirs are really thin) and buy the beach mats for lying on, when you get there.

I think I just have a major mental block on how much the weight is. A) because I have never had to weigh luggage (last time I got on a plane my mum packed) as have used coach or train for holidays for last 12 years... and B) because I am METRIC and even if I did think of luggage in weight, a kg means nothing to me!

Flibberty knowing you can do 10 days with a 10kg hand luggage is reassuring.

erm... kilograms ARE metric!

oh yes, I meant imperial. It's been a long day!

I'm not usually so dim - honest!

20kgs each is a LOT.

I've went to Eastern Europe last year for 10 days on hand luggage only (Easyjet/Jet2) last year. I STILL ended up with more clothes than I actually wore and had extra stuff for going out. This included lots of guide books, camera equipment, several pairs of trainers, a pair of high heels, knee high boots... you know the essentials ;)

Have to say, travel towels are the way forward in travelling light. They make a massive difference. They are on offer at Decathlon at the moment. 2 for £15 I think.