Stress-free Packing with Pre-holiday Checklist #hometoacuppa
I love checklists and writing things down nearly as much as I love a good old cup of tea. I am quite organised, however when it comes to pre-holiday checklists, I am even more on the ball. After all, the quicker we are all packed, the sooner we can relax and sit down for a cup of tea before going away.
As our families live abroad, we travel quite often to Cyprus, France and Brazil. Right now I am writing directly from Brazil, so I am about to describe what we have done a few days before coming on holiday.
Passports: it is obvious that we need passport to go abroad, but most importantly, we need a valid passport. Last week, our cousin had to cancel his holiday because he found out the day before that his passport had expired. Needless to say, his wife wasn’t impressed. The first item on my pre-holiday checklist is a valid passport.
Tickets: check date and time, airport details and waiting times in our tickets. Depending on how long we have to wait for our connecting flight, we might need pocket money for a meal, instead of just snacks.We need to take our expenses into account when exchanging currency. If we are driving to the airport, we book parking in advance as it is usually cheaper. A few days before, we need to check our parking ticket details.
Tea Bags: Did I mention I like a cup of tea? I always take tea bags away in my suitcase. Tea bag is the first item to go in my luggage. I need a cup of tea to start my day wherever I am.
Food and Drinks: I don’t like wasting food, so we use up as much as we can from the fridge, freezer and cupboards before going away. We make sure we have pizzas, bread and a few essentials in the freezer for our first meal back and milk for a nice cup of tea when we get home.
Cravendale lasts a few weeks unopened, so it is a great choice in the fridge when going on holiday. You can come home to a cuppa without having to worry about a supermarket trip on the way home.
Home: Switch off the oven, microwave and appliances on stand-by. Clean the house from top to bottom, tidy up, mop the floor, clean the bathroom, do the laundry and change the bedding before going away. Nothing better than coming back to clean sheets on your first night back to your own bed.
Clothes and Shoes: I always pack clothes and shoes for all seasons, from bikinis and summer dresses to cardigans and jackets. The whole family will be ready to have a good time whatever the weather. I also take spare jackets in our suitcases just in case. I am glad I had a spare jacket this time as I forgot my lovely black jacket that I wear on a daily basis in England on the plane. I was a bit upset I lost my jacket, but I won’t be cold as I have another one.
Toys and Books: Little man is quite good on flights as long as he has his favourite toys, gadgets and books so he doesn’t get bored.
Our door-to-door journey from our home in London to my parent’s house in Uberlandia took just over 26 hours: 12 hours on the first plane to Rio, an hour in a coach to change from the international to the national airport, an hour on a plane from Rio to Sao Paulo and another hour on a plane from Sao Paulo to Uberlandia, plus waiting time.
It is a long journey, so in order to keep little man content and our sanity, we need to pack well his favourite toys. Once we are all packed and ready to go, we can sit down for a cup of tea and dream about our holiday. Have a safe journey this summer!