This weekend the family and I are jetting off to Portugal to visit the beautiful Martinhal beach resort in Portugal but I have a problem, we have booked hand luggage only and that means it is time to get creative.
Ok so four days really shouldn’t require that much luggage but by the time the kids pack their teddies, their toys and the inflatables for the beach we have already filled one suitcase and we are not even on the practical things.
So what are my priorities when packing to go on holiday (apart from important documentation such as tickets, passport, driving license, EHIC and insurance)
1) My camera and lenses, I suppose this goes without saying but I much prefer to take shots on my DSLR than on my phone.
2) The kids Bubble Bums Car seats. We always hire a car and these save us a fortune in hire fees. The kids love them too.
3) Swimming stuff and sun cream. I also tend to pack paracetamol and piriton just in case. I just need to remember to take them in a clear bag and have them easily accessible at the airport.
4) Clothes obviously but remembering to pack a few jumpers/cardigans for cooler evenings. However its best to wear the heaviest item to the airport to save it taking up precious space and weight.
5) Technology – The kids need to be entertained on the flight so I usually use my kindle with downloaded films from amazon instant prime to keep them quiet. Also remember chargers and plug adapters.
So I have been googling and it seems the trick is to literally only take what you will wear with no spares and that works well for us as the resort we are going to has washing facilities just in case we need them. It is also recommended to roll our clothes rather than fold them. Now I don’t know if that will work but at least it should prevent some creases.
So here are my tips and I am now off to pack our cases, can you think of anything I have missed?