What’s in my Suitcase?

The Bloggers’ Lounge are running a competition with European breakdown cover specialists Eurobreakdown.com for bloggers to tell about the items we couldn’t go on a trip without.

I would not be happy if I forgot to pack something I really wanted. So a few years ago I created a holiday check list spreadsheet encompassing packing and pre-holiday action list. It has gradually improved as I use the previous holiday’s packing list as the starting point for the next holiday. Rather than delete anything, I hide the rows that are irrelevant. For instance our most recent holiday was to Norfolk last month. So we didn’t need our passports, winter gloves and scarf or a french phrase book. Likewise, I clear out numbers of items and start afresh filling them in again as you obviously need a lot more for a fortnight away than an overnight trip. Then there is a column per family member and a general column. I colour code the spreadsheet as I pack, so it is easy to see what is still outstanding and I can prioritise other actions, like what needs to be washed or ironed first in order to be packed.

A quick peek in my suitcase

Son1 sits on the case, to keep it closed whilst I zip it up

So some of the essentials on my packing list besides the obvious clothes are the boys’ favourite cuddly toys for bedtime, son1’s medicines and medical notes, chargers, anti-bacterial surface wipes and ginger biscuits. Why ginger biscuits in particular? Not only are they a tasty snack if you get stuck in a traffic jam, but ginger is renowned for anti-sickness properties and son1 is prone to travel sickness.

And I’ve added a new item to my packing list for the next self-catering holiday. A pair of oven gloves! There weren’t any in the cottage we stayed in and we ended up binning a pizza as it fell on the floor, due to getting burnt whilst trying to get it out of the oven. Not to mention the mess that had to be cleared up.

Disclosure. I’m entering this post to the The Bloggers’ Lounge competition.