Ah, the sun. The fun. The 6am wake up calls to chaos in the kitchen. With the summer holidays well underway, we asked three mums what they would take in their ultimate holiday suitcase. With no luggage restrictions when you travel by P&O Ferries, you’re free to pack as much or as little as you like.
So, Katy, Cerys, Beth and Jenny gave us a snapshot of their holiday essentials (and some non-essentials!) as well as their top tips for travelling with a family by ferry.
Katy – What Katy Said
“This year we travelled to the Netherlands by ferry and it was great! Not only did we not have to hand over our luggage and risk it being lost or damaged, we could take whatever we liked! One tip I have for you is to head straight to the lounge area and bag yourself nice comfy chairs and a table. When travelling with little ones you need a seating area and room for them to spread out with colouring etc. We also look for one at the edge of the lounge so we can let Wills crawl around at the side without getting in anyone’s way. So much better than making him sit still on a flight!”
Cerys – Rainy Day Mum
“When travelling with kids, it’s always a challenge to decide what toys to pack to keep them entertained – especially if like us you go on a villa or camping holidays more than holiday resorts. So, in went the Star Wars toys and the Playmobil! Home comforts is one thing that we all miss when we are away – but you know what, our favourite pillows were able to fit in as well, which could mean a better night’s sleep for us all whilst away.”
Beth – Twinderelmo
“P&O Ferries asked us what would be in our ultimate holiday suitcase, so I asked the kids. Predictably, the girls chose teddies. Oodles and oodles of teddies. Charlie is such a book-worm – he reads at lightning pace so each trip to the library, you know he is going to max out the 10 book limit. His ultimate suitcase would look like this:
All this talk led me onto thinking about own my ultimate suitcase. From flip flops, to cute ballet pumps to skyscraper heels I would be chucking them all in to my heart’s content. I am a bit of a gin snob so I would be packing my own and would be able to take it in my handbag for the first drink of the holiday (probably as soon as the boat departs!)
Charlie inherits his traditional ways from me and I’d be taking a good book to read next to the pool, where I’d be rocking numerous pairs of OTT sunglasses. I would also take our own pillows as there’s nothing like sleeping with a pillow from home for the ultimate comfort.”
Jenny – Mummy Mishaps
“I do not know about you, but I often struggle knowing what to take with me on holiday. Having to pack a suitcase with everything you need for one or two weeks away is hard to do, and I always end up taking something I did not need, and also wishing I had taken something else that I really needed.
P&O Ferries recognise how stressful it becomes when packing for the whole family. They asked me to create the ultimate suitcase – where you could take things you wish you could normally. My ultimate holiday suitcase if I was travelling by P&O Ferries would look like this:
It would be amazing being able to take several pairs of shoes: sandals, flats and a pair for going out, a hairdryer, hair straighteners and curling tongs – usually I only have room for one of those. I would love to take my coffee machine, my favourite tea mug and tea bags because tea on holiday never seems to tastes as nice as it does back home!
I would love to take my duvet because sometimes bedding on holiday can be uncomfortable. It would be great to take my camera, rather than just use my phone’s camera to capture those precious holiday memories. Books – I love to take books on holiday to read, but they are heavy and take up room. It would be brilliant to take more than one bag: a beach bag, a practical rucksack and a handbag. A sun hat for sunny days and an umbrella in case it rains would be handy too. Plus the little extras that I usually have to remove from my children’s suitcases, like some inflatables, cuddly toys, bucket and spade each and some LEGO would keep them happy.”
Are you ready for a family ferry holiday? Choose your route and decide what you’ll pack in your ultimate suitcase! For more ideas, see what four more bloggers had to say in The Ultimate Suitcase Pt. 2.
