What do you take from home for Self catering abroad

[Baconking]

I'm ready to make a list of must brings from home for a self catering week in Portugal next month.

Not clothes and the like but decanted washing up liquid or handy must haves so we don't have to buy them while there.

Not a lot! Does the accommodation listing say what is already there? They might provide washing up liquid etc. What sort of place is it?

Are you driving or flying?

If driving, maybe take loo roll, bin liners, kitchen roll, cleaning cloths, cleaning spray, laundry detergent, tin foil to wrap things for picnics.

Tea towels!

I would take teabags and sweetener on any holiday abroad but nothing else. If there’s no washing up liquid when you get there just buy some.

I like to take a lot of clothes so wouldn’t be wasting case space on stuff like that.

Oh yes, should have said! We're flying

It depends what's already there and how much cooking you'll be planning to do, but I always find it useful to take an old takeaway container with a few food bags and clothes pegs to secure open bags or keep leftovers. The pegs and bags can be used for other things if not needed for food and don't take up much space in the luggage.

Tea bags. You can buy everything else!

Tea bags! And a couple of proper mugs. Cannot cope without proper tea in a proper sized mug and self catering places outside UK and Ireland rarely have either. Also a few dishwasher tablets, tea towels, couple of loo rolls just in case.

Tea bags 🤷‍♀️

We use villas and most have things like washing up liquid.. dishwasher tablets etc.. l always e mail to find out. If no dishwasher l take rubber gloves and one of those square sponge thingies.
I also take a tupper wear that will fit an onion ( we eat loads of salads.. don't like fridge smelling).
Our own tea bags.
But we know we can buy all other grocery items there.

Tea bags and proper nice mug! Crucial for a good holiday!

I take my Systema cup so I can heat soup or have a big coffee and three in one coffee whitener sugar sticks. Everything else you can set in the supermarket, we tend to eat out to be honest

Tea towels just in case
Micro fibre cloths (2/3)
Couple of sponges
Bit of washing powder, enough for 4 washes or so
Some packet mixes eg. Spag bol, tuna pasta
Instant coffee (some packets with milk included in case run out of milk or for first evening/ morning). Tea bags of whatever varieties you like.
Some basic herbs and spices, salt and pepper which I use frequently but don't want to buy a big thing of abroad (eg. mixed herbs, minced garlic, cajun chicken spice, curry powder)
Crepe pan (they're always rubbish in self catering places and I like to make crepes on holiday - pan is v light!).
Antibac wipes for toilet

There is often w'up liquid provided and dishwasher tabs, sometimes not but I risk it and just buy there if necessary (can always use shower gel for one day!).

Tea bags and a Swiss Army knife

When I drive in the U.K. I take loads and loads of stuff.

you’ll never get it all in flying, unless you don’t take any clothes.

dishwasher tablets, washing powder, washing up liquid, bin bags two sizes, pegs, tea towels, hand towels, etc etc.

You can buy everything but saves money to take a little bit rather than buying loads and leaving it behind.

It depends on your diet, if you are going to eat out and if there a decent shop nearby (you can look up on the google map if you are not sure).
Me: Salt flakes, cubes of sugar, tea, coffee, herbal tea, good knife, a couple of tea towels. I also take a small pan after spending once a week of cooking a porridge for 3 in a huge pan for 20.

Little tubs of salt and black pepper, I could not find black pepper once on holiday in Málaga town centre.
I always pack a small sharp kitchen knife in the hold luggage obviously!
Teabags as some supermarkets only have herbal not our English ones.
I also pack those three in one coffee sachets for a coffee before we go and do a shop.

I know money and budgets can be tight and travelling with kids can mean picky eating so I apologise if I sound like a twat but there’s something a bit depressing about going on holiday for a week to somewhere lovely and being in the villa/apartment eating tuna pasta bake.

And yes, to bin bags. I usually take smallish ones, big ones are always provided

Tea,coffee, basic condiments ie salt,pepper,mixed herbs,j clothes,tea towels,pegs.

We usually fly with 2 x 20kg bags and small bag each (NOT the 10kg) - for 5 of us for 2 weeks.

It's easily doable if you do a couple of washes. Take enough stuff for 7 days.

I agree..l own a villa abroad and don't take half that stuff..we also rent villas in other countries a few times a year. Wouldn't be filling my case with all that.. too much effort and stress.. l can live without all that.. sounds like you're going to spend all your time cooking and not relaxing and enjoying your hol.

Maybe it's depressing to you but not to me. You can be sitting outside enjoying some nice wine and a warm breeze, after a day of swimming, with tuna pasta! And yes, I do have one very picky eater (actually he wouldn't eat tuna pasta, that's just for a quick meal when we've been out all day) plus 5 of us eating out happens once or twice in a 2 week holiday (we have a rota so it's not just me cooking and teens who can cook too). Would rather have a holiday every year and make it budget friendly rather than splash out every 2 years. We usually travel round using buses seeing what there is to see, play lots of games, go on walks, explore. It's not really about dressing up or eating out for us. It's the best family time together and I really love our holidays. (Went AI once, hated it).

We take dishwasher tablets as there is usually only one. If we were planning on cooking I would take some salt and other flavourings, but we usually go out for dinner and only have breakfast and lunch at the villa.

Last year we took a box of Weetabix, as the kids like cereal and it is expensive abroad.