Somehow packing always takes longer than planning the actual holiday. There’s the pile on the bed that starts neat and ends up everywhere. The 11pm “do I actually need this” spiral. The moment you realise you own too many similar dresses and not one swimming costume that still fits properly.
I’m here to take some stress out of it. What’s actually worth packing, and what saves you a meltdown the night before.
If you missed last week’s Summer Holiday guide, go back for the Kids Eat Free bit, the cheap days out and UK summer break ideas.
✈️ The Airport Outfit
I’ve learned this one the hard way. You want comfortable enough to survive a delay, but presentable enough that if you bump into someone at baggage claim, you’re not in yesterday’s pyjamas.
Floaty enough that I cope if I get a hot flush. Trainers I could actually run in if the gate changes last minute (it always changes last minute). And nothing with a waistband that’s going to fight me after an airport breakfast!
🩱 Swimwear
This isn’t about whether you think you can “pull off” a bikini, because you can. It’s more about what actually survives a week of proper use. Pool one day, sea the next, and at some point you’re wading in because someone’s forgotten their goggles again. Sometimes it’s worth investing in a few pieces that will survive the holiday.
👕 Beachwear
Linen trousers. Dresses with a bit of give in them. Anything I can throw on with sandy feet and still look vaguely pulled together.
My rule: if it can survive a car seat and not crumple in the bottom of the bag, it’s earned its place in the case.
🧒 The Kids’ Bit
Packing for them is a whole different job. Rash vests save me from the every-twenty-minutes sun cream battle. I always throw in one outfit I genuinely don’t mind ruining. And don’t forget two hats each, one for when the first one gets lost!
💛 Small Business Shout Out – Le Voyageur Méditerranéen
I love this story. Livia was a lawyer in London and Milan. Then love took her to Palermo, and seventeen years later, she’s still there. Now she runs Le Voyageur Méditerranéen, designing tailor-made trips across Sicily, Puglia and Sardinia for people who want more than a package holiday.
She’s not booking you the obvious spots. She’s finding the family-run winery, the hidden garden, the guide who actually knows the place. Then she builds your trip around them. Her whole thing is simple: she does the planning, so you can just go with it. Stress-free, from the first idea to landing back home.
If Southern Italy’s on the list, or you’re looking for a last minute getaway, Livia’s your person.
You spend weeks planning what goes in that case. Ten minutes into the holiday, everyone’s back in the same three things anyway.
That’s not the packing failing. That’s just what a normal holiday actually looks like.
Louise x
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