How to look "polished" while staying in hotels/on holiday

[askii]

How on earth do people manage to look polished when contending with bad hotel lighting/air con/hard water etc when staying in hotels or on holiday? I'm always envious of those who manage to look so effortless in these situations

Gosh the snobbery about package holidays .

We stayed in a four star hotel on a Greek island on a bed and breakfast basis. We did our own thing every day and ate out every lunchtime and evening.

It happened to be a Jet2 package holiday, the "package" element being that I didn't have to book the flight, transfer and hotel separately and the whole thing was ABTA and ATOL protected.

I don't understand why people get sniffy about that. Package holidays these days aren't all about the lowest common denominator. It isn't about being a sheep, but about less hassle and an element of protection.

Exactly.

That’s very true.

Just people being snobby thinking how much more cultured and clever they are if they book an air BnB and google things to do.

Portable steamer so I can quickly sort my clothes out.

Well cut clothes UK hotels

Linen and accessories Overseas

Jet 2 ? Oh god

No backpacks, football caps or - shudder- bumbags. Capsule wardrobe in 2 colours. Mani-pedi and haircut before you leave.

Absolutely

And your point is? My Cambridge-educated boss went away with Jet2 last Easter.

I do think the fact that I’m on a package holiday and then going out for dinner in the local village is not tackier than having booked flights and an apartment separately and then out for dinner in the same local village - other than I would make an effort.

but then if I’ve gone out for dinner in the uk in the summer, I wouldn’t go out in shorts and t shirt, unless they were quite fancy tailored affairs.

OP - additional issue - chlorine and seawater ruins my hair, so take really good conditioner with you, shove something on your hair when you get out of the water to soak in for an hour or so before you wash it out.

I tend to take far too many clothes and don’t wear half of them.

Linen trousers in neutral and black (actually look fine a little creased), good fitting t shirts in white, black, neutral. Mix and match.

long hair tied back, shades, some nice earrings and you’re good for most things. A few drops of hair oil helps with the frizz, and cream make up is easy and quick.

Wow this thread got catty! Why do people care what sort of holidays others take? And how they book them/who they book them with? And why does it matter to you if someone else either wants to make an effort or doesn’t want to make an effort?

The OP wanted tips so it’s obviously important for her to look and feel nice when she’s away. Some people like to dress up and put make up on, so what?

OP - for a holiday, I’d say the main things that make a difference to me is LVL lashes, dye and tidy my eyebrows, and a mani pedi. I also use gradual tan just on my legs. If it’s hot, I wear less make up and like to tie my hair up in a bun.

I agree with the poster that said pack and wear less - I just have maybe four or five hot weather outfits that I really love, so just take those, and can always wash and dry them when I’m away if needed. They aren’t neutrals as they don’t suit me, but they are a little collection of different things I’ve bought over a few years and really love. Also these are a separate ‘holiday wardrobe’ for me as I live in Scotland and it is never warm enough to wear proper hot weather clothes 😂

“Why do people care what sort of holidays others take?” So they can feel superior.

You should be embarrassed at yourself. What a snob you are.

Package holidays can be cheap to extremely expensive but it just gives you security if something goes wrong rather than booking everything separately. That's the legal advice given on alot of these holiday shows about situations that go wrong.

You can go on a package holiday to the top hotel on the island you stay at for the snobs on here👍😂😂

Also all inclusive hotels can have amazing quality food as sourcing it from suppliers who also supply other hotels so quality very good.

Some people think as well if you go all inclusive you stuck to hotel but when we've done these type holidays we have had more freedom as food served whenever you want and drinks and just relaxing to come and go as you please. We go out of the hotels everyday on all inclusive and still get the benefits of not always having to have cash on you if you want a coffee or other beverage.
And five star hotels also have all inclusive😂😂😂

Exactly
Some people are trolls and just pathetic.

You're not nice.

I have just got back from short hol in Santorini and had lots of compliments about looking "so glamorous" mainly due to my new wide/floppy brimmed straw hat. Not actually straw but one of those you can roll up to put in your luggage. Was only £20 from amazon. To be honest I usually look a bit of a hot mess on holiday and don't care too much but I got The Hat because I sometimes now have to wear glasses for distance and I wanted something to keep the sun out of my eyes if I swapped from sunnies to specs. Even my husband who isn't a very noticing person said I looked like Audrey Hepburn in my big hat and big sunglasses!

I do have semi permanent eyebrows and get lashes put on for holidays so I it doesn't matter how much I swim. I have quite greasy skin and use a mattifying facial sunscreen from la roche posay (F50) which helps a lot. I do wear a bit of foundation over the top, waterproof eyeliner and lip gloss.

Clothes - I try to keep it capsule style, mostly black, some white and a bit of blue this time (in honour of Greece!), so everything mixes and matches. Even my bikinis are black or white and can be worn as underwear during the day so I'm always ready to whip off the outer clothes for a swim. Nothing that needs ironing. Shorts and camis for the day (have some fab shorts from Halara that look like a short skirt but are actually "modesty shorts" with a floater layer over the top) and maxi dresses for the evening. Also a plain black swishy poncho for chilly evenings and the plane. Looks very elegant with The Hat too!

No patterns or minimal patterns. These can look nice but I never get it right and they look garish on me. Even my sarong is plain black with a little gold coin pattern on the edge. My daughter kept nicking it (and my hat and sunglasses) to pretend to "walk the runway".

Sparkly flip flops for the pool/ beach and black Geox platform sandals for walking. So comfy, even climbed the volcano in them.

Small cross body bag for valuables. (Really need to replace the one I've got as looking a bit tatty!) Fold out Longchamps bag for bigger stuff (water, sun lotion etc) - was given this for my birthday recently and I love it so much. Much more stylish than a duffel bag or rucksack, waterproof for any spills and folds up tiny to go in main luggage when not using.

Sorry to bang on but I actually felt like I got it right for a change and it was so nice!

Linen looks terrible on most people.

Would love a link to THe Hat! I’ve never got the swishy black poncho right either.

Im currently abroad and just looked at my face in a magnifying mirror. Horrified by the shiny, open pored, broken veined horror. I’ve been wearing factor 50 but still got brown splotches and sun damage . Feeling really depressed. Also didn’t bring any sort of cover up for evening s and was cold the last two nights.

@LeilaLettuce this is The Hat. I've also tried to add an image of the label of swishy poncho. I got it in a John Lewis sale a couple of years ago - the brand is Max Studio. Can be worn on or off the shoulder.

Another good thing about hat is it covers up sweaty or pool afflicted hair during the day. Then wash it with loads of conditioner and comb through/air dry before going out to dinner. My hair is long and straight though so doesn't need styling (just as well!)

Thank you.

Love the hat. I wore a baseball cap most of the time but glamorous it ain't.

Maybe it's because I was on a package holiday

I do think the fact that I’m on a package holiday and then going out for dinner in the local village is not tackier than having booked flights and an apartment separately and then out for dinner in the same local village - other than I would make an effort.

No, the fact you are on a package holiday means you’re a tourist 🤮. Obviously someone who books separately and researches their restaurant is a traveller so is much better than you. I bet you shop for a holiday wardrobe too whereas a traveller would curate their wardrobe!

@Pollipops1
Although I was on a package I did research places of interest and places to eat.

Does that make me hybrid tourist/traveller?

I even temporarily joined the local Facebook pages.