First Time long haul all inclusive with teens…

[DontGetMeStartedAgain]

Help me Mumsnet! After twenty years of family camping holidays in the UK I’m going all inclusive to Mexico…. Just me and two younger teens and two Uni age girls… What am I going to forget to bring / do / take?

I'm off on holiday on Thursday with DD(16):
Converter plug (preferably with USB sockets)
Charging cables
Big fat battery pack in case plane has no charging facilities
Download books/music/films
Noise cancelling headphones
Lip salve
Sun cream
Aftersun
Mossie spray
Antihistamine
Swim stuff
Travelwash
Clothing
Plastic bags to pack wet/dirty clothing
Photograph passports and PDF your insurance cover and pop them on your cloud storage along with important (e.g. bank) numbers

Swap clothing between suitcases in case one or more doesn't follow you abroad (I have bought airtags too)
Pack change of clothing in hand luggage

If you are driving to airport photograph the location of your car.

Thanks Madcats! Definitely some things in there I haven’t thought of! Hope you and your daughter have a great holiday :)

Extension cables for the rooms. You don't need as many adaptors.

We took our own cups and straws.

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Last summer we still needed masks for the airport and public transport.

You can pay the departure taxes at this end to save time at the airport.

Basic first aid stuff.

Have a great time.

small washing line with a few pegs so you can hang up your towels to dry on the balcony.

Travel kettle with mugs plus some tea bags and sachets of hot chocolate.

Thanks SayNoToDoorToDoor and Theimpossiblegirl…

Possibly very stupid question but…. In the past when I’ve been to countries with malaria I’ve been backpacking so I’ve needed a mosquito net as have been sleeping in dodgy cabanas on beach etc but am I right in thinking not normal to take mossie net to nice hotel?!!!

Travel insurance
Mobile phone travel bot unless you know you can get away with just using hotel wifi
small first aid kit with painkillers, plaster, antibacterial cream, antihistamine and insect bite cream
Mosquito spray. We didn't needed nets in the hotels but they were still plenty around outside. We wore long trousers in the evening.
copies of passports and credit card hotline

Mix clothes in the suitcases.

Charger cables, adapter

Beach bag

cash for tipping

Where in Mexico, we stayed north of Cancun last year and no mozzies but went further along the coast to Tulum and there were loads. If you are going snorkling, in the Cenotes or to any Xcaret parks (If you are going to Yucatan) you need reef safe suncream and insect repellent. The kids jungle formula says it is and it worked for me. Try and take some dollars as well as Mecian pesos because some companies only tool dollars for booking trips / excursions.

I always take a little first aid kit including some immodium, paracetamol, ibuprofen, bite creams, throat sweets, plasters etc.

Take lots of suncream and a hat, it will be hot. Take UV vests if you are snorkeling.

We've never bothered. It's worth taking lots of repellent and we start taking odorless garlic tablets and b12 complex tablets a week or two before a holiday. It really works, I'm so normally eaten alive but have done this for Mexico twice and Thailand and have hardly been touched.

Extension cord and converter plug is a must as we all travel with gadgets and hotels never have enough plugs. Check if beach towels are included. I take sunscreen and antihistamines plus antacids otherwise it's just the usual clothes, toiletries, credit card etc

No, mosquitoes struggle in air-conditioned rooms. Too cold and too breezy!

Where are you staying? Are you planning to do any excursions out there?

We also took a lot of single dollar bills for tips and a set of metal straws for cocktails as our hotel was straw free.

You'll have to pay a tourist tax at the hotel, can't remember how much, not lots.

Lots of helpful suggestions here! Things I definitely wouldn’t have thought of…Thanks all 😊

We’re going somewhere between Playa del Carmen and Tulum…. Haven’t booked any excursions yet but open to suggestions… I have been there before about 25 years ago but different this time with children! I imagine it’s changed a lot…

We were in that area over half term, DC’s 15 and 17, it was brilliant.

I absolutely do not recommend the whale shark watching, $900 for a family of 4 and we didn’t see one. Awful sea sickness too.

Take mozzie spray, there was hardly any there but they still managed to give us Dengue Fever (not pleasant).

Right! Avoiding whale shark watching and off to Google Dengue Fever 😳

Are going to a mossie place? I have bought and (put on) a weird plaster grid thing over a couple of bites that has somehow stopped me scratching.

We're back! I won't gloat but we had a lovely time; not too hot and not much rain (Mauritius).

DD and I ended up with a few mossie bites (think we are both A+ blood group), DH unscathed. I'm here to sing the praises of Moskinto plasters.

https://www.moskinto.co.uk

I forgot to pack a waterproof plastic housing for my phone. Luckily I had a few little zipper bags.

Pack a brolly if it is likely to rain. Don't bother with a coat.

If you have an iPhone and plan to swap sims, pack one of those gadgets for getting them in and out. [our hire car firm sold us a 20GB(?) data sim for a few quid but we had to track down a phone store to swap it in] We used this single phone as a hotspot (old work phone) as the hotel wifi was not secure and performance dropped at busy times.

If you do get a chance to see whale sharks, snap it up. They are beautiful (and enormous)!

Have a great holiday, OP

We did a whale shark trip and it was amazing. But it was just before COVID and with a small, local tour. Last year in Mexico everything seemed so much busier so it may not be as good.