self catering holiday..what do you take?

onlyroz

Don't buy the food until you get there. However, there are some things that are commonly not available in self catering apartments and caravans and so are worth while bringing along:

Salt
Sugar
Cooking oil
Washing-up liquid
Kitchen sponge
Rubber bath mat
Bog roll
Tea towel

FatVonD

I take fitted sheets as theirs are always the flat type and too small so they move in the night and you wake up sleeping on the bare mattress that other people have slept on :eek:

A bath mat as the bathroom floors are always slippery and without one you'll end up using one of your precious towels instead.

If you have littlies take a plug as the shower trays are usually deep enough to bathe a toddler in.

mummyroysof3

wow some great ideas i hadnt thought of..hubby says i pack like we moving house so im to write a list and he can cross off stuff we dont actually need...told him as long as he goes to shop while we there to fetch something he crossed off but we did need then thats fine lol

i have hired a bed guard there cos its awkward to fit in car. was away last week with just four of us the car was full to bursting and we didnt have to take food stuff or towels so im dreading packing...doesnt help that our pushchair is massive and takes up alot of boot though

wannabe_sybil

Can you get a delivery? I go self catering in cottages and I always get a supermarket delivery.

How close is the nearest supermarket and how big is it? I have found by bitter experience that I always get too much and end up taking stuff home. So more and more I just get as and when if I am near a supermarket, but no good if you have miles to the nearest one.

Definitely recommend a decent knife, a corkscrew, and a few bits of seasonings etc. I also recommend bin liners/carrier bags as they are expensive to buy but easy to take and don't use much room. If you are not near a decent supermarket then definitely take any alcohol. Otherwise you will be paying a fortune.

Can you put a little aside for fish and chips (not on site!) and perhaps bacon butties in a cafe? Also, are there likely to be good local food places? Last year we went to Whitby and so ate quite a bit of fish for a nice change (for those of the family who like fish...)

Is it worth ringing the site and asking what food can be bought on site and typical prices? Bread goes stale so quickly, so you will need to buy that locally, also milk.

Also, last October holiday was almost a heatwave. The year before was gearing for snow. I recommend you take blankets which you can lay on the car seats to sit on and save room in the boot. I hope you have a marvellous time.

Torry_Quine

I am always surprised when people say they take items such as toilet rolls, washing up liquid, tea-towels and pegs. Have always had these provided.

Do take a bread knife as often not provided and trying to cut bread without one isn't easy. Definitely a first aid kit, you can get basic ones in pound shops which can be restocked. I also keep the small bottles of shampoo etc that I get free and throw them away. Washing powder as I do a wash while away.

meritaten

Torry_Quine wrote: »

I am always surprised when people say they take items such as toilet rolls, washing up liquid, tea-towels and pegs. Have always had these provided.

Do take a bread knife as often not provided and trying to cut bread without one isn't easy. Definitely a first aid kit, you can get basic ones in pound shops which can be restocked. I also keep the small bottles of shampoo etc that I get free and throw them away. Washing powder as I do a wash while away.

In most caravans they are - but, as I found to my horror on LAST years holiday - not always! in fact the caravan was so bare I thought it had been burgled!
It was on a four star site too!!!!!!!
my list of grievances against that holiday park was a mile long!!!!! would never ever go back there!

candjsmum

No matter where we go, I always take an extension lead with 4 sockets as nearly always struggle with finding electric points. Both my kids went abroad with the school this year and they took these too for charging phones,using hair dryers, straighteners etc, I don't go without 1 now.

Edwardia

Whether it's Devon or France, one of the best things about self-catering is eating local food.. bread from a bakers, fresh fish if it's local..stopping off at a farm shop or market for fruit and veg. https://www.gourmetbritain.com https://www.localfoods.org.uk

You might be able to have shopping basics delivered the morning after you arrive, some supermarkets will do that via Internet shopping.

I'd suggest small sizes of things like shampoo to save packing space. Tea towels, sheets, towels, washing up liquid, cool bag/box, first aid kit, sunscreen, books plus board games and cards in case there isn't a TV, 500ml of whichever oil you use for frying, picnic set, wet wipes, holdalls rather than rigid suitcases as they take up less room when empty.

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

Less than most people caravanning. More like what would be taken camping, generally because you can never be certain what is going to be in the caravan or has been nicked by the previous inhabitants.

Clothes - 3 tshirts, 2 trousers, 4 pairs socks and undies, one jumper, one waterproof layer, hat and fingerless gloves (it gets cold out in the sticks). One set of clothes to be worn on the way, so just one set in the bag.

Towel.

Sleeping bag/blanket and a padded groundsheet thing (like a yoga mat - beds in caravans tend to be terrible)

Showergel that'll double up as shampoo in a plastic bag. Flannel in a plastic bag. Bug cream and paracetamol. Blister plasters, a lighter, a needle and thread. Sunblock. Sunglasses. Packet of bog roll.


Cooking wise, a cheap frying pan and a saucepan. One sharp knife. An enamel cup, bowl & gas kettle. One fork and one spoon. Box of matches in a sealed plastic bag. OS map of the area and a compass. (you might not be able to get a mobile signal/sat nav might not work and it's rubbish being lost).

Tiny bottle of washing up liquid, kitchen roll and bleach. Never seen any of these provided in a caravan. I wouldn't worry about the bleach with a tent.


Then teabags, two pints of milk, bread, butter, eggs and a packet of smoked bacon. And a handful of packets of salt/pepper from the cafe.


Oh, and the obvious fishing gear and phone charger. Plus a plastic bag to keep the phone in at all times.


The rest of the time, you can reply on getting stuff locally. but that's you sorted for at least a couple of days.


This lot should fit on/into a large backpack, plus the fishing gear and a carrier from the shop.

When coming back, you should have less stuff than when you arrived.



Just not the usual three weeks' food shopping from the supermarket at home, three suitcases of clothes per person, half the kitchen, toys, games, appliances, contents of the playroom, full bed sets and everything else that people seem to feel are absolutely essential.

mummyroysof3

jojo i have a lot to learn from you.....i took my hand held hoover on holiday last time..i did manage to leave the kitchen sink behind though