well owner of apartments in Greece was obviously pleased to accept them! I took shampoo bars from Lush so brought ours back. She didn't look like a savage I must say lol - in fact lovely person. 'savages ' in Goa/Thailand/Cambodia - mmm I think not again lovely people - are more then pleased to accept them in manner they are given.

If they are more than half full I bring them home ... Im way too tight and I just know there will probably be none left when I get home anyway and I wont want to be rushing off to Tesco as soon as I get home for shampoo/shower gel that annoyingly I left back at the hotel .

After having a 33 hour delay once I always make sure I pack whatever is left in the tube of toothpaste , preferably in my hand luggage . There is nothing worse than hanging around with a long delay , mouth like an arabs armpit and taken back to a strange hotel for the night having spent all remaining currency left at the airport only to find you have none and its back at the other hotel for the maids . That really is one of those moments when you so wish you hadnt

MilleMiglia wrote:

In Europe do you really think "The Maid" really release on your soapy handouts??? Ok If you leave a few bits in the Caribbean but Spain Greece etc? I doubt it, lets be honest these people arnt savages are they...... ;)

What a strange post.. savages?

I do leave left over toiletries in hotels. Mostly on my long haul trips, though just a couple of months ago in Portugal I realised I hadn't taken a body lotion with me and could only buy a large size in a local shop. I didn't want to take it home with me so asked the young woman who cleaned our room if it would be any good to her, the smiles all over her face gave me the answer.

Ok If you leave a few bits in the Caribbean but Spain Greece etc? I doubt it, lets be honest these people arnt savages are they

I do hope you aren't implying or think that people out with Europe are savages ?????

savages?

I had to walk away and think about that, I think in reference to comparing Europe with some other parts of the world, the term "third world country" would have been more applicable, rather than using the word ‘savages' to describe people who have little from this capitalist world.
In my experience, those who have little material things, they tend to have the biggest hearts.
Anyhow, those savages in Spain known as ‘maids', they are not stupid and can recognise a bottle with the dreg ends inside and will bin it, and anything which is half full that will save them a few euros in the supermercado, they place on top of their trolley.
Times are hard in Europe, austerity cuts are biting hard, especially amongst those already on low wages like maids, so I would image more toiletries are (or will) be placed on the trolley, than in the bin.

A lesson to be learnt > one slip of the tongue and you'll land in the caca.

Sanji

The maids in Turkey are usually very appreciative of any toilettries that are left, as someone said previuolsy, I'm sure they wouldn't take a few dregs left in the bottom of a bottle but half a bottle fo conditioner or body lotion would probably we welcomed.

I don't believe they are "savages" either, they all seem perfectly civilised to me but they don't earn an awful lot of money for things they may consider luxuries.

Kiltman HT Mod wrote:

I do hope you aren't implying or think that people out with Europe are savages ?????

No, hence the winking eye in the OP

having had to buy antiperspirant in tenerife last year i fully understand why the maids appreciate any toileteries they are given, @ the prices xphx

To day while I was in home bargain, I saw the holiday stuff out now on sale, they are good size aswell not to small or big..

harles worthington leaving conditioner, charles worthington frizz smoothing conditioner, and the same in the shampoo, and charles worthington gloss spray and a of Frizz serum
all 99p each or and charles worthington volume mouse
all nice sizes to fit in case, they will last and not take up loads room
that's my hair stuff sorted.

The Suncream's are good price there aswell and they have the baggage weight i seen and mossie spray. Will be going back next week to pick up more stuff.

Any seen any bargains around

Aldi were selling cheap sun protection this evening. Lacure- variety of factors. I didn't buy any as I'm getting some Piz Buin which I find great and love the smell. I'm keeping my eye open for a bargain. They were £7 for 200ml in Asda but I'm looking to see if I can get a better offer.

We got Piz Buin from our local pharmacy,Once a day,factor 30 and paid £1.22 each for 3 tubes,and 6 bottles of piz buin aftersun for 70p each.I couldn't believe it when hubby came home and asked if I wanted any,he has a pre-paid prescription so hadn't got his wallet with him.Of course I said yes,as many as you can get so he bought what was left.I always take Piz buin sun lotion but usually buy cheaper aftersun,now I've got it all.

Shirley - Marlou & I got Piz Buin in Home Bargains last week for £5 - for all factors from 10 up to 50. After sun was rock bottom price as was Mossie repellent.

About this time of year we start to estimate how much stuff is left in bottles etc and put aside those with just enough to see us through the holidays. So at the end we can chuck anything left over away leaving more room in cases to bring stuff home. I also do the same with trainers etc. Take the oldest pair on holiday and bin them on the last day.

I don't really think that the hotel staff would want to take someone else's leavings! After all they have access to all the free stuff in the hotel stockrooms if they are that desperate for soap.

As mentioned in an earlier post it depends which country you are going to. In many third world countries the staff of hotels really appreciate toiletries that guests leave behind and many do not have access to the hotel freebies.

If I'm going away for a couple of days then I always take toiletries that are nearly empty so that I can bin them, at the end of the holiday. If I stay in a cheap airport hotel the night before a flight, then I take toothbrushes that are at the end of their life, freebie sachets of aftershave and perfumes e.t.c

After all they have access to all the free stuff in the hotel stockrooms if they are that desperate for soap.

But some hotels would regard that as theft and a sackable offence and hence it's not worth the risk for staff. In one hotel I stayed at in Cuba the maid dropped very heavy hints about me using the freebie toiletries in the rooms. Turned out that it was hotel policy that any which had been opened should be replaced with full ones as part of the daily room service - even if only part used - and that being able to take all the part-used ones was a perk of the job for the staff. But if they were caught with full ones then they could be sacked on the spot because unopened ones with the seal intact were to be left in the room for the next day/guest. The stock control was quite strict too - they had to sign for everything that they took from the stock rooms and higher levels of replacement would have been looked into. I witnessed a really raging row between one of the housekeepers and one of the gardeners in another hotel in Cuba and from what I could gather she was accusing him of taking things from her cart which had been standing outside of one of the 'villas' that the garden rooms were arranged in. A lot of staff in poorer countries were staff are on very low wages really do want to take someone's leavings.

And it's not just toiletries, I know, for example, that the cheap suntops that I take to Cuba for wearing in dance classes with me and leave behind because I consider them too 'washed-up' and faded as a result of the daily harsh laundering to bother with again are not going to be thrown out even if I have left them in a bag by the wastebasket in my room. Nor are they going to be used just a floor-rags - they're one of the perks for the landladies who provide the homestays, along with the cheap flipflops that I know I'll never wear again at home etc.

I do at times feel uncomfortable with all this - but it's the poverty that makes this 're-cycling' necessary for the locals that is the source of that discomfort, not leaving the toiletries and clothing etc behind.

SM

I leave behind most if not all of our toiletries. If they want them they're there. Having once bought Gillette deodorant in Ibiza I know some are "recycled", I mean the prices!!!