Let a man do the packing!!!!!! After just returning from a two week holiday in Kardemena I would like to know why women pack so much. Got to NEMA to discover we were not just a kilo or 2 over, but wait for it............................................ EIGHTEEN kilos over £85 quid in excess baggage charges

Got unpacking at the apartments to discover a litre of water in the case, because Sandra wasnt sure whether we would be able to buy water at NEMA because of the restrictions. And she wanted to be sure that we had some if we needed a drink when we got to the resort!!!!!!!! Told her to sip the water as it cost us a fiver in excess baggage

To be fair a lot of the weight was in cosmetics, sun creams, hair stuff (for her not me :lol:) and the cost of these in resort, means that it is usually cheaper paying excess baggage charges. When we book the next holiday I will enquire about pre-paid excess baggage.

don't let a man do the packing.. well don't let Rob do the packing..or Gav...nowt would ever get done....or if it did it would be screwed into a little ball and stuffed in a corner.. or in Gav's case ( teenage son) he would plead helpless until i did it for him to speed things up. To be fair to Rob, he at least attempts to pack before calling on me to sort it out for him

I iron and fold everything, hubby packs it. He looks out all his own stuff and is better at it than I am. I leave the room when he packs as I'd just criticise and that's not fair.

I am a minimalist packer, count out how many days/nights and just take what I know I will wear rather than what I think I will wear. Hubby always asks if I'm sure I have enough. I usually take a couple of extra tops just so I have a choice.

Toiletries are decanted into small bottles. Why take a full bottle of everything when there is no way you will use it?

We have large hard bodied cases which weigh 6kgs empty so we are still near the limit despite our best efforts. Only once had to pay excess baggage so far and that was with flybe from Southampton to Edinburgh. Coming back from Las Vegas in May, one case was over the 23kg allowance, but they let us take out some stuff and take it as hand luggage. Luckily we had an empty tote bag at the top of the case.

luci

We flew to Bulgaria with First Choice from Glasgow. Hubby and I very careful not to have too much in cases. Daughter bought bathroom scales. I said "dont weigh yourself just before your holiday", She said "dont be daft its to weigh my case". Her case weighed in at 35 kilos, so was prepared to pay excess so she could take her 14 day rigouts and her 14 nights rigouts plus all the other extras. She couldn't believe her luck, not a word said at check in and no excess to pay. At the end of the hols she just left lots of little tops. flip-flops, shorts etc. for the maids in the hotel so that her case would be ok on the way home. I'm sure someone would have been glad of the bits and bobs as their wages are so pathetic.

The extent of my husbands packing is, get out of the wardrobe what he wants to take and lye it on the bed for me to pack. Bearing in mind that if it was not for me he would have no socks/swim trunks/ shorts/shoes etc because all he gets out is what he wants for the evenings. He is taking our 2 boys skiing in January and I have told the boys to make sure they pack their own stuff when coming home because I dread to think how much of it will be left behind otherwise. Husband goes every year in Feb/March with his mates and always leaves something behind, be it a fleece, ski goggles or something else.

Don't you just love 'em

Regards Jackie

My hubby does the packing . I get my gear out (after consulting the trusty list) he gets his out. One year he forgot to take any trousers so he had to buy a pair (so he could get into the dining room for dinner). since then he has his own list, a perfect arrangement. Cases are heavy before anything goes in but a least with hard cases you don't have to worry about breakages or wet clothes.

Which is best, fold or roll

Have never tried rolling up clothes when packing. Experts seem to think this is the best way. What do HT's think.

I can't imagine rolling my hubbie's shirts etc.

i use a mix of both fold [ in the correct manor] shirts & jackets and roll the rest

wizard

I never roll shirts or things that crease easy eg dresses. I try and lay these as flat as I can but t-shirts, shorts etc are usually okay rolled.

On the way back I think I'll start wearing every item of clothing I've taken! That way I can get more in the case like booze, etc,

I fold most of mine and leave the hangers on and then hang straight from the case on arrival and the creases tend to drop out.

As for lists - my daughters a nightmare She used to take nearly all her clothes away with us and then had tantrums at the resort saying she had nothing to wear.

Now we prepare lists of morning wear, beach wear and evening wear (including shoes & accessories) before we go, which makes packing a doddle and, using the lists of what to wear in resort, no more tantrums

Our lists (which we keep on the computer) are revised with each holiday

I also prepare lists, I have to think of at least 2 tops that will go with a skirt or pair of bottoms before I'm allowed to pack, and I only take 7 of each for a 2 week holiday!

(This was after taking 25 evening outfits for a 2 week holiday!)

For toiletries, I am a big fan of lush, they do solid shampoos and conditioners, no need to worry about bottles bursting, and they last a long time as well; plus they don't weigh too much!

I'm queen of the lists. Got them in a file on my laptop and are revised every year, right down to the coluor lippy and nailvarnish to match each outfit. Even got several for the bairn. Him indoors doesn't do lists but every year he forgets at least two things.

I fold clothes to take out and bring back. We get our laundry done before the last day so no washing or ironing to do when we get back. If anything creases we hang it up in the shower room with the shower on hot so they drop out.

Oh I'm so glad it's not just me who conjures up 'holiday lists' for clothing, accessories and toiletries when going on holiday.

Going abroad for the first time ever this year and without a coach or the boot of a car to rely on I need to seriously rethink my holiday packing.

I have always took far too much on previous holidays, you know clothes you say you'll wear but never do and you always end up wearing the same top two or three times in a fortnight because it just fits right/looks good etc.

Anyway with luggage restrictions I've decided to colour co-ordinate my packing rather than trying to take 20+ different outfits, it will make things alot easier and I'll always have something that matches.

Just to mention Tesco do a small range of minature toiletry items like toothpaste, shampoo etc, it'll make it alot easier to pack in a suitcase rather then the full size items that weigh a bit and tends to take up a corner of your case.

I've found over the years that I find some favourites each time I go away, so I now mix and match rather than trying to fit in X number of outfits. I also only take 2 pairs of footwear as I tend to get comfy in one pair and they take up so much space, however one week of my holiday is on a boat where you go barefoot for the week so that does me fine.

Always put your toiletries in a sealed washbag or wrap up well in a carrier bag to avoid your clothes getting ruined by spillages.

Main bulk in my bag does seem to be all the bottles of suntan lotion and shampoo/conditioner etc. That and books as i need to take 6/7 with me.

In the past I've rolled........... but those were the days when I used to take far too much stuff. I'm now much more sensible (mainly due to the fact that I HATE unpacking when I return).

Nowadays I'm better with toiletries - I buy the small travel bottles of shampoo. We take a small Imperial leather foam burst shower foam as only a tiny dot fluffs up on a scrunchy enough for a good shower. We dump the scrunchy before leaving. A small toothpaste is enough for both of use for 2 weeks - we dump what's left. I used to take mountains of different sun lotions - now it's the one bottle and I stick to that.

Medicines used to also take up loads of my space. I now take them out of their boxes and just take a sleeve of each. I also keep a sleeve of immodium and paracetomol in my hand luggage as - you never know

Clothes I managed to whittle down to 2 pairs of linen trousers, 2 skirts and a few T shirts in various colours, a couple of my favourite 'going out' tops. Jewellery I also used to over pack now it's a couple of beaded necklaces/bracelets and that's my lot. I just never wore it all before.

Knickers I buy a couple of packs of Tesco's cotton - 5 pairs £2.50 and dump them later in the bin - I never bring knickers home.

Shoes can be my down fall as I take flip flops in various colours, my trainers incase we go walking over rocks, and my 'better sandals' - hubby takes one pair.

Hubbie is the best at packing - he puts in a few pairs of shorts a couple of T shirts and that's his lot. He won't take trousers as it's 'too hot'

I had considered only taking one bottle of suntan lotion and buying the rest there, but with the offers we get here now it's often no cheaper or more expensive.

Do you use that all day stuff then Gynis? I have to take a variety as I like to use loads of it and also go down in my factors over the course of the holiday.

I'm going to try and get some smaller sized shampoo/conditioner, see what's on offer at the website I use nearer the time I guess.

LOL to Glynis. I so love the idea of leaving your knickers behind.

My tip only works if you have a son between 2 and 14 who isn't too into clothes.

I take 14 Tshirts for him for 2 weeks (7 for 1 wk), after evening shower the Tshirt is worn to go out that night for 3 or 4 hours, then should a Tshirt be needed during the day to cover up round the pool or on the beach the previous nights can be worn again. Sometimes I take a couple of spares just incase.

This is a result of hubby going mad when I packed him 28 one year. Plus 18 pairs of shorts.