Luggage?

WorldTraveller_2

We go abroad a lot with our three children, and always only take hand luggage. Me and my husband each take a small suitcase each, and the children carry their own stuff in a backpack each. I've learned how to pack the minimum and it's always enough - and we go to places where there are plenty of shops so it's not as if we can't buy something if there is anything else we find we need.

kellylight

WorldTraveller wrote: »

We go abroad a lot with our three children, and always only take hand luggage. Me and my husband each take a small suitcase each, and the children carry their own stuff in a backpack each. I've learned how to pack the minimum and it's always enough - and we go to places where there are plenty of shops so it's not as if we can't buy something if there is anything else we find we need.

Would you mind sharing your packing list (roughly) of what you would take for 10 nights please?

SavvySpaniel

We are a family of three and last year managed to two week holiday with hand luggage only. We really considered what we were going to wear and after the first round of putting all the clothes on the spare bed, we managed to cut clothing down by half by being realistic on how much of it we would really wear!

We also saved some room in the cases by pre-ordering our toiletries from Boots and collecting them from the branch in the airport (airside). This meant we could have full size bottles of sun tan lotion/shampoo/shower gel etc which lasted the whole holiday. We used most of them up and so didn't need to bring them home with us at the end of the holiday. It worked perfectly ... you just need to get the timing right of when you place your order so that it's waiting for you to collect on the day you fly. I ordered a bit too far in advance, and my order had been taken from the shopfloor down to a storeroom - this added a few minutes to the collection but nothing to worry about. I would definitely do this again - it saved a big chunk of space in the case!

LilElvis

Jeez I feel bad after reading this thread! Got back yesterday after a 3 week long haul and 2,adults and a 7 year old. 3 cases with a total weight in excess of 60kg plus hand luggage. I admit that I didn't wear a good third of my clothes but we also did a couple of loads of laundry while we were away. As long as I'm within the luggage allowance and the cases fit in the hire car I can't see the point in competitive packing - I would rather take too much than spend days wearing grubby, sweaty clothes and spending holiday time washing and ironing.

Love my Samsonite cases - indestructible and one is 30 years old and another is 20+.

Pollycat

LilElvis wrote: »

Jeez I feel bad after reading this thread! Got back yesterday after a 3 week long haul and 2,adults and a 7 year old. 3 cases with a total weight in excess of 60kg plus hand luggage. I admit that I didn't wear a good third of my clothes but we also did a couple of loads of laundry while we were away. As long as I'm within the luggage allowance and the cases fit in the hire car I can't see the point in competitive packing - I would rather take too much than spend days wearing grubby, sweaty clothes and spending holiday time washing and ironing.

Love my Samsonite cases - indestructible and one is 30 years old and another is 20+.

I guess it depends if your luggage allowance comes included with your ticket or if you have to pay extra for luggage - as I suspect the OP has to.

As I posted earlier, we have 30kg of luggage each (for 3 weeks long haul) but I doubt our cases will weigh anywhere near 20kg each.

I plan my packing and it's very rare that I bring anything back unworn.

Hope you enjoyed your trip.

mgdavid

LilElvis wrote: »

Jeez I feel bad after reading this thread! Got back yesterday after a 3 week long haul and 2,adults and a 7 year old. 3 cases with a total weight in excess of 60kg plus hand luggage. I admit that I didn't wear a good third of my clothes but we also did a couple of loads of laundry while we were away. As long as I'm within the luggage allowance and the cases fit in the hire car I can't see the point in competitive packing - I would rather take too much than spend days wearing grubby, sweaty clothes and spending holiday time washing and ironing.

Love my Samsonite cases - indestructible and one is 30 years old and another is 20+.

Different strokes for different folks. I did 3 weeks in Australia on 9.5kg and still brought back a couple of unworn items. If you buy the right clothes they just need a rinse, dry overnight and are non-iron. Most of the time I was just in swimming shorts, and a shirt to keep the sun off.

Savvy_Sue

stevie11 wrote: »

IT luggage is fairly inexpensive and lightweight.

Another vote for IT.

NoodleDoodleMan wrote: »

One time the moulded plastic foot from hand luggage came adrift and the company sent a replacement with the fixing screw, all sorted.

Oh that is good to know!

Someone suggested four wheels are good. I can see their advantages, but when we bought the first IT suitcase the chap in the shop (specialist luggage shop) pointed out that we still tend to pull them along on two wheels when going any distance, so IF we were going for 4 wheels it would be worth getting a brand with larger wheels at the back, or they'd wear out faster.

Never thought of pre-ordering from Boots but that would have saved us on luggage in the past, possibly. DH has traditionally used a particular body wash which I have never seen on sale at the airport, or in any Spanish pharmacy, and as it has made the difference between his skin being OK and his skin falling apart we've just accepted there needs to be a large container of it in the hold luggage. He's now tried and got used to a different brand which is more freely available, and it also goes further, so a small bottle would last him 10 days.

However, going back to the 'will 2 suitcases be enough?' question, if you're not already a 'minimalist' packer, my view is to consider the stress of getting everything into two cases which aren't overweight. Good idea to get it all out on the bed and give it a go: on that basis I've just decided to book another suitcase for our holiday in May. Well, we've come away for a long weekend, and we'd have to take roughly the same amount of clothes (washing machine available), but there were various things which didn't go into the case which would need to next time, and I just don't want the stress ...

Another tip: IF you take spare shoes for anyone, and stuff swimming trunks and underwear into them, do tell your offspring you've done that. One set of trunks replaced, because they were not found until we were packing to come home again. Stuffing things into shoes was so obvious to me, not to them ...

The friends who've been taking three children from Lands End to John O' Groats by bike in fortnightly stages each summer for the last few years astonish me. Everything in three sets of panniers ...

kellylight

Thanks guys, really great tips! We do actually have allowance for a piece of hold luggage each, but could only manage 3 at the most. I was just wondering if 2 or 3 would be the most practical.

Pollycat

kellylight wrote: »

Thanks guys, really great tips! We do actually have allowance for a piece of hold luggage each, but could only manage 3 at the most. I was just wondering if 2 or 3 would be the most practical.

You'd 12 year old should be able to manage a wheeled suitcase.
I'd take 3 to be sure.

WorldTraveller_2

LilElvis wrote: »

Jeez I feel bad after reading this thread! Got back yesterday after a 3 week long haul and 2,adults and a 7 year old. 3 cases with a total weight in excess of 60kg plus hand luggage. I admit that I didn't wear a good third of my clothes but we also did a couple of loads of laundry while we were away. As long as I'm within the luggage allowance and the cases fit in the hire car I can't see the point in competitive packing - I would rather take too much than spend days wearing grubby, sweaty clothes and spending holiday time washing and ironing.

Love my Samsonite cases - indestructible and one is 30 years old and another is 20+.

With us it's not about competitive packing - we take minimal amounts because it's so much easier for us. I have back problems so the less we need to carry the better. Plus we use public transport a lot - we get a bus from our house to the airport, and use public transport like metro systems etc at our destination, so it's important to us that luggage is easy to carry around.