Packing in two 20kg bags for 4

[minimammy]

I know you guys are experienced and clever at this so how, if at all, can we pack for 4 in two 20kg bags plus 10kg hand luggage? 2 adults 2 dc. Warm ( hopefully) summer hols.
Any tips and tricks?

write a day by day list of the clothes that you need - lay them out. then halve it and take travel wash with you to wash out clothes whilst you are there. can be done but its not the clothes that add the weight - its things like shoes, tablets and chargers etc.

We packed for 2 adults and 2 children in one 25kg bag and all had our own hand luggage (although only one of those was a suitcase I think).

Wasn't a problem for us although DH and I have done 10 days in the US with only hand luggage so may not be the best people to answer

Wow that is impressive!
I've written things down, thank you.
It's the beach towels🙈 so heavy!

Completely doable - we've done for 4 in one 20kg bag. Warm weather means clothes not too heavy.

How long is it for? Wear heaviest shoes on plane (e.g. hiking boots or trainers). I would also carry in hand luggage all electronics (so they don't get nicked more than anything) and chargers (so you have them if there are delays). Use kindles rather than books.

If going for 2 weeks +, consider buying shampoo/conditioner/body wash/sun block (if hotel not providing) where you're going or at airport (they don't weigh it if you buy there) - between 4 of you if swimming most days, you'll use up by end of holiday.

Do you have easy access to a washing machine?

Just buy cheap beach towels there.

If beach towels heavy, consider getting some hammam towels. They dry really quickly, and don't weigh much. E.g. Towels

how old are the DCs? Can they take hand luggage too? (e.g. wheely bags) - my DC each take their own (8 and 6)

Don’t take beach towels, you can buy cheap beach towels from most resorts, then leave them behind

I don't bother with a beach towel, I use a cotton sarong instead, if the weather is warm they dry out pretty quickly and weigh next to nothing. Or I've heard hammam towels recommended on here as a light alternative.
Do you all have a 10kg hand luggage allowance? If so, that equates to 80kg of luggage between you in total - that's loads. On my last holiday I took a tent, sleeping bag, stove, folding chair plus clothes, toiletries, walking boots and my holdall came in at just under 23kg.

Can you hire beach towels from the resort? Otherwise Turkish towels (above), microfiber towels or straw mats if space isn't an issue.
Less clothes than you think. Less shoes than you think.
One one bottle of shampoo, toothpaste etc - or travel size bottle if you all need different stuff.

Buy cheap towels there and leave them behind.

Hand luggage can weigh as much as you like - no airline has ever or will ever weigh your small suitcase as long as it fits in the overhead locker dimensions.

Give each adult their own 20kg bag, and get the largest possible cabin size suitcase you can for each of the DC. You could even have six suitcases total (4 cabin size and 2 checked in), and are also entitled to a carrier bag's worth of stuff each - supposed to be things bought from duty free, but again, they're hardly going to demand to poke through it.

I've just come back from a ski holiday where we flew easyjet. We shared one check in bag of 20kg between two adults, put our heaviest stuff in our cabin suitcases and had a carrier bag of jumpers each. No problem

That should be easy!

Take these for beach towels - cheap, light and don't take up much space
www.decathlon.co.uk/microfibre-towel-xl-grey-id_8387957.html
They also have the advantage of drying quickly. You can get smaller sizes too

Also bar soap and shampoo rather than bottles

If you are taking shoes other than sandals/flip flops (e.g. trainers) then wear those for the journey and pack the flip flops and sandals (max 2 pairs per person)

Cross pack. Put a mix of everyone's clothes in each bag. Then if a bag goes missing or is delayed, you all have something to wear.

cosmonautkitten there certainly are airports and routes where hand luggage is weighed. And ive also seen people have cases weighed at the gate. Not worth the risk of being miles over in terms of hand luggage weight.

Try lifting 20kg - that will make you realise why you don't want to take so much.

Take half the clothes, fewer gadgets. Three pairs of shoes each max - for kids it is trainers, flip flops and those reef shoe things.

20kg isn't so bad to lift.

Weight of bag can make a big difference.

Worth investing in a pair of luggage scales as Ryanair in particular can be quite ruthless if you're over the limit.

If your staying in a hotel, check to see if they have beach towels to Loan etc.
But shampoos etc there.

Op wants two of those bags, plus 10 kg hand luggage (each). Wheely bags don't work outside airports.

Good luck with that and kid wrangling too.

Wheely bags don’t work outside airports.
What on earth does that mean?

We went with only hand luggage last year for 2 adults and 3 DC. So you'll manage fine.

Have never taken beach towels. And can fit in lots of shorts and Tshirts and a few swimming costumes. A pair of Sandals and flip flops.

We don't know what age the DCs are, so they may in fact be able to help, rather than require "kid wrangling" whatever that might be.

You don’t need great big beach towels. Pack small thin towels to dry off with, thin sarongs to lie on, and buy cheap beach mats.

Thick towels get manky, are slow to dry etc.

Wear trainers on plane, pack sandals for you all and add one extra pair of smart sandals for you.

You can easily pack thin warm weather clothes for 4 in that luggage.

Don ‘t take endless full sized bottles of toiletries. The shampoo / conditioner needed for 2 weeks really isn’t much.

I do generally travel quite light, and can’t bear carting loads of stuff about.

My Dec are 10 and 5 , we are in s/c apartments, I'll definitely look into those decathlon towels. Great idea.
We are travelling Ryan air who do indeed weigh and are ruthless.
We have 10kg each hand luggage. Which because I refused to join the premium family thing means whilst the have to be 50/40/20cm they'll be lobbed into the hold anyway.🙈
It'll all be right I think. My husband may need to put some of his size 12 shoes in his jacket pocket😂 as they weigh loads !

@keely79 wow! Hammam towels!👍🏻 thanks