Packing advice needed for multi-stage holiday.

[Portofino]

Just shared a tip given to me by a MNetter last summer about packing everything in large reusable "Ikea" type bags as they fit better in the car, and can be stashed away easily in a mobile home.

This worked really well last year. A bag of clothes each, a bag of indespensable self-catering stuff, towels laid across the floor of the boot first. I then packed a holdall for the overnight stops - one night each way. The en-route hotels had secure parking so we only took in the overnight bag, and a bag with the electronics/valuables - dvd, camera etc, and left everything else in the car.

Posting on the subject made me think about this year, where instead of 1 night each way we are doing a holiday with several stops of several days. The ikea bag and holdall thing seems like less of a good idea. Fine at a campsite but does turning up at a hotel with a load of Carrefour shopping bags seem a bit, well BAG LADYish...?

We'll not want to leave stuff in the car either as we'll use it for day trips etc.

Plan is:

2 nights B&B
1 night stopever(not booked yet - pool maybe so swimmimg stuff to hand?)
10 days mobile home
3 nights hotel - pool
4 nights hotel - pool
1 night stopover

Has anyone done a trip like this? How it is best to organise myself with packing?

Are you near a decathlon? What you need are these You may be able to buy online (or secondhand). Eagle creek do similar, but much much more expensive.

Then you can decide how to pack - either use them like drawers - one for underwear, one for tops, one for borroms etc, or divide them into days.

You could still pack them in IKEA bags if you want to - I think a bag with those cubes in would be fine for a hotel.

I would pack -

1 bag with everyones toiletries and nightwear for the whole trip

1 bag with the clothes you all need for the first 3 nights

X bags with the clothes etc for the mobile home - you can leave these in the car for the stopover, and maybe some stay in the boot for the other nights?

1 bag for the 3 nights, 1 for the 4 plus the stopover - presumably by this stage you'll be re-using clothes from the earlier part of the trip so you would refill the first bag, plus one other bag, and stuff all the other clothes etc back ointo all your other bags.

If you really have to take it all out of the car for every stop, then I don't think the IKEA bags are as good - something close-able looks a bit less bag-lady

If you have enough clothes and bags, then individual bags for each stage of the journey, just as you have described. Inside each bag, I also pack "day time outfits" for each day for DS and I (DH is a big boy and can look after himself) in supermarket bags. I also take a bag of "bed time stuff" (PJ, towels, washbag) and "Outdoor stuff" (hats, coats, wellies etc". In your case, I would also have a "swimming stuff" bag.

I definitely don't have enough clothes for 3 weeks! Washing will need to be done. I normally do it as we go when on holiday and maybe do a machine load with beach towels once a week or so.

The newfeel bags are fab! Thank you! Just what we need I think - much classier than carrefour shopping bags I'm in Belgium though so will investigate on Amazon/internet.

So 1 bag toiletries, 1 bag swimming stuff, 1 bag with all our clothes for the 3 nights travelling out, with rest stuffed in car.?

On way back, bags with hopefully clean clothes enough for one week. 1 bag swimming stuff. One bag with stuff for last night stopover. Rest stuffed in car?

I hoping not to need coats and wellies. It would not dare be bad weather!

I forgot that we have Decathlon here too! And they do home delivery. So 3 sets of Newfeel bags will be winging their way to me shortly! Thanks!

Happy to help

My boot will look so elegant this year