Holiday packing !

Does nobody take any knickers?!

Monica, what you have in your wardrobe for this country and what you would need in a hot/beach /poolside holiday is entirely different, that's why we don't just throw things in , it needs a little planning which is part of the holiday, We aren't making a fuss , just making sure we have suitable and enough of clothes, Certainly not to impress other holiday makers , I am old enough not too care what others think of me, Just saying ,

If the villa has a washing machine then you're sorted!

I am amazed at how many of you still wear bikinis. Although I am tall and slim I have bulges round the middle and since my 60's I have been wearing one pieces which hold me in!! Would love to dare to wear a bikini again.

I took my teenage daughter away on holiday and let her do her own packing for a week. She took 52 tops and no shorts, trousers or skirts!! Luckily mine and her sister's fitted so we managed.

Lilypops I do not do sun, sea and sand holidays, so never have to worry about that, but as I have 3 or 4 swim suits and a sufficient light cotton tops and trousers to see me through the current heatwave that should be sufficient for any hot weather destination and has worked when we went t

I did buy extra clothes, mainly thermal underwear when we went cruising up the Norwegian coast and into the Arctic Circle in February.

I had mild holiday clothing angst when we went to northern Spain earlier this year, it was the cusp of spring/summer and I checked temperatures in Santander every day for a week trying to decide whether winter or summer clothes were more appropriate., but I still made the decision on which way to go on the day previous to going away and then packed a suitcase.

Excuse any non-sequiturs above. Every so often posts post themselves, when I am still writing them. No idea why.

As little as possible and you can impulse buy the pretty and cheap clothes for sale there!

Before you go halve your clothes and double your money. Splendid advice.

I take items I'm ready to part with and bin them after wear. I only ever take hand luggage. Reckon I can buy anything I've forgotten and need desperately. Hasn't ever happened yet. Always tuck my passport and some euro notes in my bra. I often take up the slack with bubble wrap which weighs nothing and can be disposed of and replaced with any new purchases. Happy travelling to us all!

I never learn. Just back from 2 weeks on Rhodes & brought back loads of stuff I never wore. We always pay for extra luggage allowance & have megalight cases but still struggle to keep it below 20kg.
I brought back at least 8 strappy tops, 2 pairs of shorts, 4 dresses & one skirt I never wore. Every year I am determined not to take so much & every year I fail.

I am off to Australia next April for almost 4 weeks, the tips here are great, thanks. I have garments that can wash and dry overnight (non iron) - however can anyone advise on sourcing a decent travel laundry / wash product, please?

One consolation is that a holiday in a villa does not require you dress for dinner.Is anyone going to notice you are wearing the same things day in day out ?So a few items that can be washed and dried overnight should see you through and can go in hand luggage.

The villa will have a washing machine. Pack light.

Two words - "Packing pods"! They are marvellous! (Haven't we had this thread before?)

On return from holiday I write down what I used most , what I hadn't worn and what I wished I had taken. It really helps for a similar holiday. Just keep them in a file on the computer. So travelling in Sri Lanka in February I packed the same list as travelling around in Vietnam, and a week in Nafplion in October I will pack using a list for a week in Croatia last October. I do say please no photos as I love the clothes I have but I'm always wearing the same ones and sun hat. I wore out some brown linen trousers which I bought at East and can't find the same. If anyone can point me in the right direction.....

If you are in a villa there may be some days you don't even get out of swimwear! Just a cover up for the evening perhaps. Few T shirts and shorts for day time, 3-4 little dresses for evening. Chances are you won't see the same people twice anyway so doesn't matter if you wear clothes more than once. You will have a washing machine if you need it. Take cheap underwear that can be thrown away if need be to make room for new purchases! Dragonfly go for it, you can always use a sarong or cover up when walking around (from beach/pool to bar!). Flipflops and tan leather, strappy sandles for footwear. Take mini bottles and then buy toiletries there. Sorted.

I can't relate to most of this advice. I only have one swimming costume -why would you want more? Only 1 pair of shorts. No sarong. I tend to take a couple of skirts and several pairs of trousers with mix and match tops, and a couple of cardigans for cool evenings. I guess I go on different types of holidays -mainly walking, not beach/pool ones. I also have walking sandals ,walking shoes/boots and one pair of pretty sandals/slip on flatties for evenings. Minimal jewelry/scarves for evenings. Of course sun hat, sunglasses, sunscreen, and toiletries decanted into small bottles. I find there is usually a hairdrier there so dont bother with that. I wash any clothes I need to (take a bottle of Travel wash) and choose quick drying non iron clothes. As Ive said on another thread, I usually take around 5 wire coat hangers which are useful to hang clothes on to dry , in the shower or over the bath! And you can leave them behind. Also of course underwear ,socks, nightclothes, first aid kit, book to read etc. I find it hard to cut down myself actually!

I can see I didn't read the OP properly. A villa in Majorca is quite different from a walking tour staying in lots of different hotels!!

3 tops, 1 or 2 dresses or skirts or shorts. 2 bras, 3 or four pairs of panties. Swimsuit. Something with long sleeves for evening or preventing sun-burn. Something nice for going out for dinner in, if needed. A little make-up. Lots of sun screen. Hat or headscarf, comb, brush, tooth-brush, toothpaste, nail-clippers, comfy sandals or shoes, nice pair for evening wear, soap powder, short clothesline and some pegs, and wash bra, panties after wearing them and hang them out to dry.

If this seems too minimalistic, pack your case with everything you want and try lugging it up and downstairs three times quickly - this makes me decide I can do with far less than I originally packed.

Plasters for blisters!

We take camping towels .we got lovely giant sized ones for about £7 each on line . They fold up really tiny and do a brilliant job of drying you.

I always put a clothes rail up a few days to a week before I pack then put on things on there as I wash/iron them and anything I think I would like to take and go through everything before packing. When you see it hanging you have more idea of whether you have too much or too little and I usually end up thinning it out quite a bit.

Some lovely suggestions here. We returned two weeks ago from a driving holiday to England and back. I overpacked shoes and sandals plus two long cardigans and a rainjacket which packs small. Not needed because of the lovely weather in England. When I did the washing on our return DH had got through 28 golfing style shirts in the 15 days we were away. Must say he does always look smart though. Now off to look for villas in Majorca over Christmas/ new year. You have given me an idea. Thanks

Why not do what you've done every other year for the past X number of decades? Whatever you pack, halve it and don't check again once you close the case.

Coolgran, you sound very organised ("I could get dressed blindfold") Sometimes I think I look as if I've got dressed blindfold, which is not the same at all! I love colour, so I do have to be a bit strict with myself when packing, so as to ensure that most things go with most other things. Blue, turquoise, purple, green usually work well enough for me; plus white cotton trousers, navyish cropped trousers, assorted tops... and a sarong can be a skirt, a beach wrap, a towel, a shawl, a beach mat, even a top sheet for the bed if your bedding is too hot. A microfibre travel towel is fine for the occasional swim.

I am a bit cautious about health, and tend to travel with a large selection of tablets etc, just in case. I always carry a universal sink plug and a Swiss Army knife. If I need to wash any clothes, shampoo or shower gel will do the job well enough.

Packing cubes/pods: never tried these but seriously interested. Anyone care to advise me how best to use them?