What should you pack for your group self-catering holiday?

Here at Hirasté, our passion is finding the perfect accommodation for your group holiday.  But it doesn't stop there.  We want to make sure you have everything you need for the perfect getaway.  In this article we are here to help with your holiday packing. So what should you pack for your group self-catering holiday?

First there are the obvious essential items such as your clothes and toiletries. We just love buying tiny travel sized shampoo!  Anyone else? But in this post, we want to talk to you about the things to take on a self-catering holiday that you might forget. Or the holiday essentials that you can share between your group.

The beauty of a group holiday is that you don't have to pack everything yourself. There are some things that you can split between the group, saving you money and space in your suitcase. Decide beforehand who will be responsible for packing what, and make sure you know what your holiday cottage or lodge is equipped with.

Board Games

For some fun and laughter and creating brilliant memories on your group holiday, pack some board games for evenings in or rainy days. Whether you are making the kids laugh with Pie Face, or having some adult fun with Cards Against Humanity, games are definitely one to add to your list.

Bedding & Towels

Make sure you check whether bedding and towels are provided with your accommodation.  You may still want to take extra towels or beach towels if you are off to the coast, or have a swimming pool at your accommodation.

Tea Towels & Kitchen Stuff

In our experience we always find you can never have enough tea towels, so whilst the accommodation providers may equip you with a couple, it's always worth taking more. Many accommodations will have dishwashers and washing machines, but dishwasher tablets and laundry detergent may not be included. Likewise, it's worth checking if you need to take washing up liquid and a sponge. It's also a good idea to take handy items like kitchen roll and cling film, or find out if they are supplied before you arrive at your holiday property.

Condiments

Whilst wherever we travel nowadays, we are never too far from a supermarket. Pro Tip: place an online shopping order a number of days before you leave. When you're planning your itinerary or what to pack, also do a meal plan so you know exactly what food you will need. That way you don't have to waste your holiday time traipsing around the supermarket.  

Make it one person's job to bring the condiments.  You don't want to end up with 6 bottles of tomato ketchup!  But things like cooking oil and mayonnaise may not be supplied at the property and are essential on your self-catering holiday packing list. Having a few store cupboard essentials will make meal times so much easier.  

It's also useful to have a few bits to tide you over until your food delivery arrives such as tea bags and cereal.

Bikes

If the kids want to bring their bikes, make sure the other families in your group know, so they can take bikes for their kids too. If you don't have the means of transporting bikes, look into hiring them once you are there.

First Aid Kit

Always bring a first aid kid. Kids are bound to get scraped knees on holiday. They may even fall head first into a ditch full of stinging nettles (yes, it has happened us)! Luckily, antihistamine, antiseptic and calpol in the first aid kit were lifesavers. And don't forget paracetamol and ibuprofen for the grown-ups too.

Holiday hack!

The more you can organise before you go on holiday, the better. The beauty of a group holiday is that you don't have to take everything. Splitting categories between the group saves you money, stops you doubling up on things you don't need, and leaves space in your car! We suggest putting someone in charge of entertainment, someone in charge of kitchen bits, and someone in charge of all those miscellaneous things.

Here is our list of items to bring that can be shared between the group when you pack for a self-catering family holiday:

Items to bring...

Entertainment

●      Buckets and spades

●      Games

●      Card games

●      Colouring stuff

●      Smores kit

●      Football

●      Frizbie

●      Movie night supplies

Kitchen essentials

●      Olive Oil

●      Tomato Ketchup

●      Mayonnaise

●      Tin foil

●      Cling Film

●      Squash

●      Tea

●      Coffee

●      Cereal

●      Snacks

Miscellaneous items

●      Clothes pegs

●      Tupperware

●      Picnic bag

●      Picnic rug

●      Bin bags

●      Torch

●      Kitchen roll

●      Laundry detergent

●      Dishwasher tablets

●      Toilet roll

And one final note - don't forget your toothbrush!