Holiday Checklist/Hacks

[packedlunches]

Going away in a few weeks (abroad, by plane)

Not been away for several years and feel a bit stressed about all the things I need to do before going.

Wondering if anyone has any good holiday hacks? Or just a checklist of what I need to do/take? My brain is just refusing to work it out.

I have a packing list on my computer. I save them all individually with destination/date/number nights as the title and the. I use the most relevant as my basis for my new list.

I use packing cubes but only if going for a week or more and flying.

Get quick dry towels from decathlon for the beach. Take talcum powder to get the sand off.

See if your library has signed up to Libby or similar. Then you can download any number of books, ebooks and magazines to your iPad.

I take one converter plug and a multi socket extension cord.

I created a comprehensive packing list from online resources and my own requirements. I keep this on my computer and print it out every year, adding extras as I need them. Makes it much easier.

I appreciate my brain often seems to work a bit differently to others, so this may seem crazy, but I check I've remembered everything by running through the entire holiday in my mind like a movie on a super-fastfoward speed. During packing, I do a mini version of the same eg when packing kitchen bits (we tend to either self-cater or camp), I run through a 'video' of us making the various meals planned/likely to have, eating it, and the clearing up, briefly noting all the equipment. If I notice I've missed something, I pause the video and pack the forgotten item immediately or add it to a written list if not immediately possible.

Now we've upgraded to a folding camper and plan to camp more often as a result, I took some time whilst away last weekend to list everything we'd brought on my phone with little tick boxes. I have a separate section at the top to add in items kept in the camper that are running low/need replacing. Apart from food, everything else needed is the same each time so it was worth spending the time to write it all out. For annual holidays to differing set ups, the fast forward thing is still quicker and easier for me, and less prone to forgetting something essential but unique to that particular holiday because I'd confidently followed The List. If I need to run through the holiday in my head anyway, then a list is just double handling.