Things to remember fur next years holiday..,

[WipsGlitter]

Just like the post Christmas ones this is things I need to remember before booking / going on next years holiday...

Yes, you do need to bring a big beach bag. It will come in handy for carrying crap from villa to pool. The one you looked at and then rejected 10 minutes before leaving would have been perfect!

Being a plastic cup for DS2 - if I have to listen to him clatter a glass onto a glass table top one more time. My nerves are in shreds.

Two weeks is too long in one place.

You will not use the uno cards.

Postcards????

Don’t kid yourself you are going to read highbrow book. Take crappy thrillers and don’t feel guilty.

Take ordinary gang lead with lots of sockets from home, and put in with one foreign adaptor. Saves arguments about using adaptor to charge phones etc (teens).

Take fold up shopping bags as ones in supermarket will be expensive.

The swimsuit one is so true. I had a lovely Boden one which I wore about twice as it was such a faff to get on. I blamed the croissants but in reality I didn't put on that much weight. I spent the whole time in my utility speedo.

Next year I will start the diet and sit ups earlier so I feel comfortable in a bikini (disclaimer: anyone can wear a bikini and it is my personal choice to lose weight before exposing my grey body to the public)

And a week is plenty. Undiluted family time is not all it’s cracked up to be!

Yy to both power strip and multiple USB plug - was lifesaver as usual hour back in room to charge up everything before heading out again

Yy to at least 4 items of swimwear

Also at least 5 beach dresses/wrap things

Can’t bear those gimp mask full face mask/snorkel combo but yes need to take snorkelling stuff with, although incredibly this year our v expensive hotel shop sold many inflatables cheaper than Amazon

Most useful this year:

Power strip/USB multiple point thingy
Beach bag and little evening bag
Beach towels
All three bottles of suncream used
Coconut body butter after shower mmmm
Travel wash for teen DS favourite tops
GoPro - great for underwater filming
Dobble/Bananagrams/playing cards!

Don't fill up the car with too much beach stuff on a UK holiday, as the kids will tolerate maybe half a day at the beach twice in the week.

Do take decent walking sandals/trainers as you will always end up doing more walking than you think. Take socks for the trainers.

Take more clothes so you're not putting on the same sun tops when you're friends are whipping on a new outfit every day.

Make sure you leave time to stock up on cheap wine before you set off home.

And don't take DS1's birthday money out of his wallet just as you're leaving the house and put it in a 'safe place'. When you return after 2 weeks you will not be able to fine it and now owe DS1 £100 😭 (this one probably only applies to me!)

Lush shampoo bar, as much as three bottles of shampoo and doubles up as clothes hand wash. It is lighter than a bottle and takes up no space. I always take shampoo bar and solid barof soap as they are lighter, take upmless space and don’t spill. If you are hand luggage only you can stick them in the bag. Take three pairs of shoes only, trainers, flip flop (sparkly ones canbe work at night as well as pool) and comfy sandals. I take 4 dresses for going out and cangive them a quick hand wash, stick them on balcony overnight and they are dry by morning.

Only realised this this year - if you're in a hotel with credit card style keys which you then have to put in a box inside the door to make the power come on in the room MOST are not picky about the card I.e. if you had a Tesco clubcard with you you can put that in there and the power will stay on whilst you are out of the room and your teenage son won't cry because whilst he thought he'd left his phone charging in the room it wasn't actually charging at all as the power was off

@iknowimcoming that's amazingly handy to know!

You need to communicate with DP a lot better over who's packed the toothbrushes and toothpaste!

You will sweat a lot in America in August and will definitely need more than 3 bras for just over a week.

You do not need three changes of clothes per day (even taking into account the very high humidity).

Take ds to the toilet just before descent so we don't have hysteria because he needs a wee when we are landing after 2 bottles of water🙈

This is a great thread.

An ugly rucksack is far superior to a stylish handbag.

If going to Spain with kids take phenergan or similar. You can no longer buy infant antihistamine OTC, as we found out this year when DS got chicken pox.

Take your own pillows.

If flying club don’t forget that you can go into the lounge before your 6am flight instead of hovering for an hour due to flight delay in an absolutely rammed coffee shop at Bristol Airport.

Don't imagine that your kids will get along with each other. They argue constantly at home, it will be the same on holiday.

Spend as much money on a bikini as you would on a bra/knickers if you are a saggy 52 yo.
16yo lithe size 8 DD can get away with a Primark cheapie.
I however need the industrial scaffolding

And spray on suncare. I bought a lotion thinking "Oh it will moisturise" but its a nightmare to apply and there's always a bit that isn't covered.

And YY to the shoes. I took sandles (comfy) flipflops and espadrilles (wore on the way there) That was plenty

I have a small wash bag with emergency medicine and objects of need

Scissors, nail file, anti-histamine, pain relief, inhalers, spare reading glasses 👓 ( not easy to read map when list only pair)

Having holidayed with dc solo many times it’s much easier to have a small dose of everything over the counter than try to get to pharmacy

Peacocks bikinis give good support. Don't dismiss them just because you have to size up. I got the bikini rugby this year and felt so much better.
If going out of your mobile companies area, put the phone on airplane mode and just use wifi. Don't go off airplane mode until you land back in the UK. Dh I'm looking at you. ££££!!!!
:)

Bikini rugby? Haha
Bikini right

Take a small paddling pool to put in the caravan shower. Instant baby bath and no screaming fits from using said shower.

Stay on a site with a washing machine, handwashing is not a fun holiday task.

Take a corkscrew

If going out of your mobile companies area, put the phone on airplane mode and just use wifi. Don't go off airplane mode until you land back in the UK. Dh I'm looking at you. ££££!!!!
Unless you stay within the EEA and Switzerland.

Stay on a site with a washing machine, handwashing is not a fun holiday task Or don't do any washing until you get home! Who wants to wash clothes on holiday?

Mexico Monger.
Hotel had excellent wifi, Dds followed my instructions, Dh forgot. I'm glad it was him, he'd have moaned loads if one of the girls had done it.

Buy those £6 harem jumpsuits again from Amazon to wear as pool dress. They are the easiest thing to slip on ever!

Buy mix and match bikinis from Freya in a couple more colours.

Everyone to have their own power box, lead and plug. No sharing, your problem if your battery dies.

Always take Ibuprofen to Greece. Take a lot more than you think you’ll need.

Buy Piz Buin all day lotion again. Take a couple of sprays to top up inter-day.

Take sea shoes from Amazon because you always need a pair and you moan every year about not having them.

Take UNO.