How many suitcases are you taking ?

[Mumishappy]

I'm curious how many suitcases people typically take on long overseas trips. Our family of four adults is heading to Japan for three weeks, but we're only packing three days' worth of clothes into one large suitcase. The other large suitcase is entirely dedicated to souvenirs for family back in Japan, with a smaller bag nested inside the clothing suitcase. We often see people with many bags and wonder why they need so much! How many suitcases are you bringing ?

Of course you do! 🤣

I have family who help. My main holiday we move every night for seven nights.

I have a medium size check in case I use for the majority of my holidays, say 5-14 days; a cabin case I would use just for a couple of nights and an extra large case for my extended winter holiday, mainly because I need both warm and cool weather clothing. The only time I’ve ever just done a rucksack was one night and travelling by train.

We take a case each (me and DH).

We took a medium suitcase each long haul (all under 20kg, though we could take up to 30kg on the long haul flights).

2 x long haul flights
4 x internal flights
public transport to Heathrow and back, cabs at the other end.

No servants required. The suitcases all had wheels.

Oh, and we each had a backpack.

we are adults who can manage their own luggage. Onward travel is either an airport taxi or a hire car.

Also airports have these wonderful inventions called trolleys. So when I was flying with two children and a lot of luggage... dropped off at UK airport, cases onto trolley and checked in, then just the hand luggage through airport (usually big backpack and two wheeled cases, trained elder DD from a young age!), could push the pushchair single handed. Often got asked if I wanted to gate check any hand luggage at gate, which I would do, just keeping the one bag with stuff from flight. Then at other end... got it all of carousel, onto trolley. Through security, met husband.

Ski holidays now are actually the hardest as ski bags are such unwieldy things!

We’re going away in August for 10 days, 5 x adults and one child - we’ve got 4 x 20kgs and we all have one 10kg hand luggage (if we want it). Personally I’d rather put everything in the suitcase and not have to carry one onto the plane, just take a small over the shoulder bag.

We all take one hand luggage case each

For four adults for three weeks, I'd expect 2 medium suitcases checked in and two cabin bags and a cpl of rucksacks. I'd also be packing five days minimum.

Three days on the one on, one in wash, and one clean principle sounds ott to me.

I have been known to pack my scruffiest knickers and trainers/shoes and bin them whilst away.

@EverybodyLTB why does the underwear need to be hot washed for hours? See this amazing post by a laundry detergent scientist, specifically their second post "You need to wash towels sheets and anything else in contact with bodily fluids such as underwear or soiled baby items at 60 degrees or tumble dry them to kill bacteria. Bacteria actually breed at anything less than 40 degrees. 30 is their safe haven" They wash their clothes on 40 generally, scroll down to see their post on the link.

All my laundry is washed at 40 degrees with Dettol Antibacterial Cleanser added which kills any bacteria in the wash. Then pretty much all of it is tumble dried. Dh's t shirts aren't because he is tall and doesn't want any shrinkage to occur as buying t shirts for him is a problem.

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/AMA/3308661-I-developed-laundry-detergents-AMA?postsby=LapinR0se

I think you are the only one who does laundry in your house. My children have known how to put a washing machine on since late primary school when they first started stripping their own beds. I literally did an instruction chart which was in the utility room so they didn't have to ask what setting etc. Laundry on holiday is pre-sorted into laundry bags, one for whites, one for darks and one for lights. Done.

As for packing, one large suitcase each but I have 6ft tall sons, a 6'3" husband and their shoes are size 10 or 11. That takes up space before you even start with their t shirts and how large they are. Plus water park shoes (Florida) and swim wear includes rash vests not just swim shorts. It is hot and humid, we all sweat so we take a lot of clothes and underwear. My friend takes her clothes to a launderette and has a service wash done the day before her last day so she comes home with it all washed.

We uber between hotels and the children can pull their own case. Dh can pull two cases as can I which we did when they were younger. We ensure all our clothes are distributed across the cases in case one goes missing. We use colour coded packing cubes.

I use packing cubes. Once empty they are used for dirty clothes.
I may wash underwear if I've miscalculated but I pack 2 pairs of pants and socks per day.

For our next holiday, four, which is one each (two adults and two DC). We’re going away for two weeks and won’t be doing any laundry.

Because underwear that’s been sitting there in a plastic bags for over two weeks is, to me, gross and needs a good long and hot wash. That’s maybe just me (and a few pp!). You’re right it is usually just me doing the washing because I’m a lone parent, but my kids know how to use the machine and do things like their own bedding. They just don’t do the day to day as otherwise there would be minimal loads going on half the time and they’re at school all day when we’re not on holiday. I love being organised and very clean, so it’s no burden to me to wash clothes on holiday. Truly, the thought of bringing back 23kgs per person back home after a holiday is awful to me - but each to their own 👍🏼 23kgs x4 is 92kgs and my washing machine capacity is 9kgs so that would be me doing at least x10 loads of washing and drying the day after getting back from a (usually) long haul trip. I have friends who take days and days getting over a holiday, I’d rather just keep on top of things - I’d be doing it one point or another. We also move around on holidays a lot and prefer travelling light to make this easier.

Come on, you surely know that all the weight in a suitcase isn’t just clothes, yes? Toiletries, shoes, books, other kit and kaboodle?

Used underwear doesnt get any dirtier because its waited to be washed. Its just the same as what you put in your home wash basket. Some of this anxiety is through the roof and ridiculous.

Another thing against washing on holiday - I wear my tops ironed! Yes horror but I just think it looks a lot smarter.

3 years ago I put a bag of laundry into the hotel washing service as it was so hot, we sweat through 2 tops each day. They came back 2 days later than adviced and also totally creased as they wash them and put them in the dryer and then squeezed them into the laundry back.
Never again.

I never heard of a laundry room in a hotel.

Even when DD was small, we adults managed 2-3 suitcases and handluggage from the luggage belt to a taxi/rental car/bus/train.

If we move locations we have a car.

@EverybodyLTB my suitcase weighs 3.6kg and is filled with other items not just clothes. We take several pairs of trainers each because Florida is rainy in August (school holidays) and has torrential rain and you can get soaked easily, daily, it dries up fast but your shoes are still wet. There are water park shoes which are neoprene full cover things, toiletries, power banks, Kindles etc so the clothes aren't the full 23kg weight limit allowed. We also allow weight for souvenirs to bring back and some sublime chocolate too.

We also move around, 3 hotels and use packing cubes, labelled and organised to make moving easy. I think I have been doing it for so long it is just easy for me. Dh is also incredibly organised too so this helps.

I wasn't suggesting your children do laundry every day but could help out with the holiday laundry when you return. We are also very organised, suitcases emptied, things put away. But when I am on holiday we are off out for the day, I don't want to be tied to doing laundry at the hotel, there are laundry facilities on site (Disney/Universal) but I am not sat around a hotel pool waiting for a washing machine to finish, I am in a water park in the rapids, on slides or in the parks riding roller coasters.

Not for me because everyone only takes one pair of trainers, which are on for travelling, and something extra like crocs. Kindles or tablets are in the small bags, and toiletries don’t go or come back with us I always buy there and leave there. I’m still convinced my way is the best, and I think the non-washers are convinced their way is too! We can all go forth feeling smugly correct 😅

Also just to add, I’m not missing out by having a pool day when the washing’s on. We have rest days on holiday and something like a Disney hotel pool in Florida is hardly miserable. Other places we do it differently but all suiting the trip, it doesn’t hold us down.

Very true! I will happily spend hours cooking on holiday, as will my DH - a great day is pottering about buying nice local ingredients then cooking a lovely feast in the evening. But I’d resent any minutes spent doing laundry! And I don’t mind at all just bagging it all up and doing it when we get back home. Cooking is a perfectly fine holiday job for me, laundry is emergencies only. I can entirely see it being the other way round - or neither - for others.

Why would I lug a suitcase up and down steps, onto small boats, onto trains, up hills etc every few days? I see people with huge cases arriving in Asia and it really is a laugh. You need a couple of vests, a bikini, shorts, and a dress, a couple of pairs of knickers, a hammam towel, and some flip flops. I wear sneakers and jeans on the flight, with a light jacket and light hoodie under. 90 sets of lenses, everything is decanted into 100ml bottles of which we take 20 between us, and 30 laundry sheets and a kindle. Medication for 3 months and that's it. Travelling light

Probably those people are going on a different kind of holiday to you. Is that so hard to fathom?

Yes. I couldn't imagine any holiday that needs a 20 kg case, although I did go on a cruise once and took 5 bags. But that was for 11 weeks . . .

Then you’re not very imaginative! You’re coming across as one of those people who consider more independent travel to be superior. It’s not - it’s just different. With different packing requirements 🤣.

Where on earth were you for an 11 week cruise?!?!!

How do you know they are on holiday?