Packing for holidays. What an adventure!

So this Summer we are headed off for a mega adventure in the South of France. I say mega because it involves an over night ferry and 11 hours of driving once we dock. With two children. One of whom is 19 months. 

There is some slight anxiety about how we will entertain said children for the drive.  Can you tell??? But on the whole we are beyond excited about this particular adventure.  It involves lots of the things we love most as a family – lots of time together (mostly a good thing), sea air, road tripping, good food and drink, lots of wide open space and outdoorsy wonder. 

We have done a couple of similar trips to France and Spain with Henry so we know that we absolutely love this type of holidaying.  And, to be honest, we love more than anything, an opportunity to hit the road and go exploring.  

We just haven’t done such a big trip with little R, who is not a major fan of the car, or being too far away from Mummy at any given moment. 

Still we are excited. And I am sure he will be too once he sees the awesome water park… or just Hey Duggee on repeat in the car…

It is the packing that is the current greatest adventure, however.

What the bloody hell is with all the packing?

Why do we need so much stuff?  And where is it all going to go?

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The children might actually have to stay behind.  Which seems to slightly defeat the purpose of the trip…

Current packing dilemmas:

• Two weeks worth of clothing for 4 people, one of whom believes that all items of clothing must be covered in mud by lunchtime, and one of whom likes to pour drinks, cereal and yogurt down himself as if he were drizzling a cake.  Where to start… 

• Hmmm what will the weather be doing? It should be lovely, but do we also pack hoodies, trousers, coats and boots in case?  Probably best. In they go.

• My husband has a bit of a thing about tee-shirts.  He loves them.  And for some reason feels it necessary to take approximately 30 on any given holiday.  Let’s face it, we won’t be there for 30 days.  He cannot possibly wear them all. Dilemma. Do I just take some out and not tell him?  What if we get there and I have left out an absolute favourite?  Do I tell him to man up and take 5 like any NORMAL person? Why am I dealing with this nonsense?!

• How on earth are we going to fit in all the snacks the children will need?  Because if we are basing this on the events of the Summer holidays thus far, we will actually need to attach an entire supermarket to our car and drag it along with us.  Does that cost extra on the ferry?

• I know you want to take your scooter Henry my little fruit, but it will need to be on your lap for the entire 11 hour + journey because there simply isn’t room anywhere else – is that okay with you?

• Buckets and spades. I am sure they do sell them in France.  But I have bought lots of lovely ones here and it seems silly to buy MORE. AGAIN.  At this rate we will be able to build a small city out of the buckets we own.  But where are they going to go?  Ralph does love to carry them around.  Can he just hold them for the journey?? Not if he also wants to watch Duggee. Hmmm.

• Is your body board REALLY essential?

• How about shoes?  Also essential?

• DO NOT mention the inflatable kayak. It ain’t happening. 

• No. We MUST fit the screens in.  Just take something else out.  As long as we have screens we are fine. 

Wish me luck when we get to the actual “getting it in the car” stage.  I might actually post a photo just so you can all have a giggle.  Hopefully there will be spaces for our children to both sit and breathe comfortably.

What is it they say – when you travel with kids, you need the same amount of stuff for 2 days as you need for 2 weeks?  Well let me tell you now, according to my bedroom floor (of which you cannot see a trace) 2 weeks makes that a serious amount of stuff…

If you too are adventuring in holiday packing (or worse, unpacking) best of luck to you!

Happy adventures everyone xx