Packing to go on holiday

My dad was the packer. We had no car as kids and the trunk came out of the loft ten days before we left and my dad probably due to his RAF days set it up on the dining room table and started the ritual of the packing .My mum had washed all the clothes and dad meticulously packed everything into the trunk leaving us with a single set of clothes until we left. In the 50’s we didn’t have many anyway. Everything went inn from our wellies to his copious home made towelling changing robe for the beach !
Then it was picked up by ( maybe) British rail and sent down to Cornwall or wherever we went . We travelled by train about ten days later and it was there waiting for us. There was a famous time when my sister’s nappies were forgotten! Disposable nappies in those days in 1958 were awful …

I pack the night before, and add toiletries as I use them in the morning on the day I am leaving. Don't even bother with a list any more, except to remind myself not to forget a nightie and my spare purse with the relevant currency, if necessary, as these are the two things I have actually forgotten in the past.

My YouTube feed is full of ideas for packing for flying, but mainly for "carry-on" as the Americans say. I always check my case in and leave my hands free with just a small handbag for the journey. I mainly fly from a tiny airport which has 2 flights an hour and there is very little chance of luggage getting lost.

Now - going camping when the kids were small and still in nappies - that was a whole notebook full of lists!

I have no idea how my mother organised the packing when we were children, although there may have been some little piles on the spare bed. She often sewed us little cotton dresses, towelling ponchos, and various useful items in the run-up to the holiday. She was always perfect and efficient, even when we were camping or living on boats. She never involved us in anything, but we always had clean clothes and delicious meals.

SueDonim

Holidays weren’t really a feature of my childhood although we had a couple staying with an aunt. I don’t recall any packing, I was too young.

My list is in my head and years of travelling abroad for my dh’s work has refined it down. I think on our very first holiday together half of the boot of the car was taken up with my platform shoes! I do have a tendency to overpack and come home with some unworn stuff. We’re having a couple of short breaks this month so I shall try to restrain myself and pack economically.

I don’t know if any of you have read this book but it’s a delightful tale of exactly what it says on the title page - two weeks in September on holidays, including many of the minute details of holidays preparation. persephonebooks.co.uk/products/the-fortnight-in-september

The book "Fortnight in September" was serialized on Radio 4 a while back. Comfort listening!

Anyone remember tissue paper? And cases without wheels, made of cardboard?

RosieandherMaw

I wonder if your mum was like mine- she would start preparing to pack about a fortnight before we were due to go away anywhere.
There would be individual piles of undies and tops and shorts etc on the spare bed for each member of the family and as things were washed and ironed they would be folded and added to each persons pile.
As we didn’t have many clothes in my childhood that often meant wearing “winter” clothes or even school clothes to keep our holiday clothes pristine.
How I remember those little piles!
Even now I find myself reluctant to wear anything I plan to take away with me next week- Sod’s Law says I will drop spag Bol sauce or beetroot on it and then have to completely rethink!
Do we all turn into our mothers?

Yes! I do this but since I have both a washer and a tumble drier I only start 3-4 days before, so not quite so bad!

Despite travelling a great deal, both on holidays and moving here and abroad packing is still a nightmare to me and always has been. The tension and stress still remains. As a child I remember my father would start getting ratty and wanting to get off . He would ask my mother if she was ready and I used to worry that I would forget something important. Years later as an adult, travelling on my own , no problem, but then when I was married and adopted my son, the worry would be if I had forgotten something important. Once we had the boat and were sailing it was worse , as literally if you hadnt got something important you would be stuck. Dont forget medication or the tin opener etc. Of course going to live abroad there was even more hassle, checking if you had all the rright visas etc etc, but the think I find the most difficult is this. There are certain things that I need to have with me, medication being the main thing, but then certain basics are needed whether you are going for 2 days or 2 weeks. So all those essentials must be there wherever you are going. But I do say that now there is just me I get less uptight by it all but dont think I will every be lqaid back enough not to worry that something of great importance has been left behind!!

Yes! 🤣 and nothing wrong with that I say

When my children were young - in the 80s and 90s we used to go either camping in Europe or on a package holiday to Spain or Greece. I was very organised and we had 2 big cases out on the spare room bed a week or so before - and I packed them precisely - say DD1 bottom left, DD2 bottom right, DS top left etc, so that on arrival they could collect their clothes and pop them in drawers. If we were camping we would have a box of books and games plus a box of 'kitchen' stuff. When DD1 was about 14 she insisted on packing totally for herself and when we arrived in Greece it became clear that apart from swimwear she had mostly packed jumpers! I do enjoy the whole pre holiday ritual but try hard not to take more than I need nowadays.

My mum was a champion packer. I'm nearly sure we had one case for our family of four. Dad carried it, no wheels in those days. She also had the little piles of clothes on the bed for a fortnight. She insisted every bit of food was eaten before the holiday. At the last minute she'd hard boil eggs and we'd bring them with us for a snack.

My mother had suitcases on the spare beds for weeks before a holiday! I pack the day before.
But experience has given me mental lists for all occasions; two weeks sun/one week family/weekend with kids/two weeks Asia etc.

Mollygo

🤣🤣🤣
I told my DH not to wear the two polo shirts and favourite shorts that he wanted to take away with him . . . So why did I have to run the washing machine the night before we left?

If he does that, they do not go.

Beginning of the week I am going on holiday I check the weather at my holiday destination. Plan what I want to take in my mind. Where otherclothes the rest ofthe week and pack everything I need the night before or morning of the holiday.

I have absolutely no idea what happened at home when I was a child.

We pack light. We put aside what we are taking. Often take old clothes that can be left behind or binned so we can bring a souvenir home.

I guess DM did the ‘piles on the bed’ routine as DF had to carry the suitcases, no wheels then. One outfit for each day and no more, except for a swimming costume, because the holiday was the only week of the year she didn’t wash. I did the same, never left it to the children as I laid out matching outfits and they had to wear any old clothes the week before we went. I’ve had a list on my laptop for years including pre-holiday reminders such as turning the central heating on standby. It makes things much easier and quicker but it’s bittersweet because DM’s list is there too and, though she’s long gone, I haven’t the heart to delete it. And yes, DH always says take a small suitcase and we’ll throw the rest in the car. Why??!! I never do, and nor does he!

I always envy people who can get away with packing a hold-all or under seat bag for a two week holiday.

I always pack for ‘just in case’. I might need this or that.
It has to be a suitcase.
I must admit that packing for a holiday can be quite stressful.

I do collect things in advance of going on the spare room bed, but don’t take many clothes - the extras like sun cream, guide book, swim wear etc can add up though. An under seat bag is sufficient for Europe, and I like packing cubes to group items together for ease of packing and finding things

I only go to Warners now for 4 or 5 days. I would get freaked out trying to pack for a longer holiday abroad.

Lol what a lovely reflection ! Yes I like to make sure I'm well organised for a week or more holiday but weekends in our caravan I just grab a couple of changes of clothes and we're off as we keep most other stuff in there such as towels, toiletries etc I remember my Mum packing a tiny travel kettle and tea bags and a travel iron as hotels didn't provide these then. Also packing had to be fairly light as suitcases didn't have wheels then and we travelled abroad by train so we all had to be strong enough to carry our own luggage and get it up and down the many steps to the platforms!

I am long retired but continue to work two days a week for a fabulous shop which exclusively sells hiking, travel wear and equipment. The clothes are designed to be easy to wear, pack very small, dry very quickly and don’t need ironing. I have a bulging wardrobe of amazing clothes for far east and hot country travel and enough coats and jackets to last a lifetime. I get a great staff discount on everything and stock up in the sale. Most of the styles are classic and can be dressed up if needed. Packing for a 4 week long haul holiday is fun and I have mastered the art of getting everything I need into a carry on bag along with some washing detergent. I usually start about a week before and curate my bag until I depart. I always use packing cubes to keep tops and trousers etc separate and easy to repack as we travel around. I love packing as it’s the first part of the adventure.

I absolutely hate packing. I have to pack OH as well. I use a list just to check against after I have filled the cases, usually about 2days before. Then weigh it and if it's underweight just shove more stuff in that I "might" wear.

my mum did very organised packing too. Dad had an old Standard 10 and he packed numerous cases, bedding, picnic for own the way, though it was less than an hour! toys and goodness only knows what.
these days I am what is probably what is known as a packing slob. on the morning we go to Borth, i throw what clothes we need and toiletries in carrier bags, grab the bag of dog food, box of food plus finally my dog and off we go!

I am on holiday and about 4 weeks. I've washed all my clothes and rinsed any new.ones..all I have to do is make final decisions about what to put in. I'm going away for 8 days so am.making notes on what I wear over 8 days to see what I will actually need.

It sounds like your mum and mine were part of the same secret society of Holiday Packing Strategists.
The ritual you describe—the spare bed covered in little labelled piles—feels like a sacred pre-departure tradition. Each pile was like a miniature shrine to a future version of ourselves, sun-tanned and relaxed, untouched by spaghetti sauce or grass stains.

And yes, the “wearing old stuff so the good stuff stays clean” rule was iron-clad in a lot of households back then. You’d end up going to school looking like a walking “before” photo in a laundry advert, because your nice shorts were already stationed in the holiday pile.

As for turning into our mothers… well, perhaps it’s not inevitable in every way, but the packing thing? That’s genetic. One day you’re tossing things into a suitcase at the last minute, and the next you’re eyeing the spare bed two weeks early thinking, “Might as well start a few piles…”

The real question is: have you also inherited the mysterious “extra packing” gene, where you end up taking twice as many clothes as you actually wear?

Mollygo

🤣🤣🤣
I told my DH not to wear the two polo shirts and favourite shorts that he wanted to take away with him . . . So why did I have to run the washing machine the night before we left?

.. yes, why did you? Can he not wash his own clothes?

When I was 17 I went on holiday for a week to a holiday camp with some friends and my boyfriend, I brought my suitcase back on the Saturday morning, ready to take away with me that afternoon on another holiday in the hope that I might find a lauderette somewhere. I went out for a few hours and when I got back I found my suitcase emptied and repacked with all my clothes clean and pressed. My sister had done it because she didn't like the idea of me taking dirty clothes with me. I was never organised and these days it's mainly checking that I have all my medical supplies with me.

I usually went to our UK holiday home for virtualy all of the school summer holidays with the children. I just had a black bin bag for each child's clothes and bunged the bags in the back of the car before we left. When they were older they packed for themselves, one of my boys took mostly his trainers, with a few clothes as an afterthought. Fortunately we have a washing machine there, and a washing line in the garden.
I also used to have to pack enough food to last until we went to the supermarket, this is much easier now that I can book an online delivery for breakfast time on the morning after arrival.