Wednesday 7 August 2013

Eternal Truths of the Holiday Kind


 This morning I'm looking out of the window here, at the sun trying to shine, and thinking back to the holidays. Doesn't matter where you go or who you are with, maybe, some things stay the same....


let's call them eternal truths of the holiday kind...

- You will pack half a dozen sweaters, but will wear only one because it's on the top of the pile

- You will run out of suntan cream a day before you leave so you have to buy a new bottle in the overpriced kiosk and then carry a full one home

- There will be one thing that turns out to be not what you were expecting, one that is exactly what you imagined and one that turns out to be way beyond what you had been hoping for


- Blisters caused by bad shoe choices don't magically disappear when you hit holiday, no matter how much you believe

- You can shop carefully for small souvenirs, the kind to slip down the sides of suitcases, then you find something bigger and you persuade yourself it'll fit in your hand luggage and THEN someone else says Mum, I don't suppose you've got any room in your hand luggage?

- But, it is easier to manage luggage when everyone is big enough to carry their own...

- ..and the same principle applies to room sharing. It's a whole lot easier to share a room for two weeks when everyone also shares the same bedtime. 

What do you think? Anything sound familiar? Or maybe you have a great one I haven't thought of yet.

many thanks to all the Storytellers who have left a link to their Storytelling Sunday posts this month. There is still plenty of time to add your own and check out what we are all holding precious in August. Worth a look!

25 comments:

Susanne said...

Yes, I can relate to some of those. And I don't know about the sweaters, but underwear that is packed in pairs never seemed to get worn that way, and you will inevitably have to wash some out by hand before the trip is over.

Linda said...

LOL Sian! I can sympathise with the suntan cream:) We don't really buy souvenirs anymore. A bit hard to fit them on the back of the motorbike!

JO SOWERBY said...

I can relate to finding room for souvineers cos I always have way too many and also the memorabilia is hard to fit in too. Ah the joys of scrapbooking life,
Jo xxx

Cheri said...

On this last trip, I took enough sunscreen and aloe to outfit an army and actually wore MOST of what I packed. I guess with years of experience, I'm learning to pack smarter. But I agree wholeheartedly with the three things - our family photo shoot on the beach was an utter disappointment, time at the beach itself was exactly what I expected, and the dolphin watching cruise quite surprisingly exceeded my expectations.

Deb @ PaperTurtle said...

What a great list of traveling truths, Sian. I smiled and nodded my way through your post this morning. :o)

Beverly said...

..and the same principle applies to room sharing. It's a whole lot easier to share a room for two weeks when everyone also shares the same bedtime. lmbo I reread this 3 times and was utterly confused. Finally I got it, the first 3 times I was reading "bed" and ignoring "time" @@
That is a hard one for me as I am the night owl in the family.

Lizzie said...

Definitely "However carefully you count/plan, you will never wear all the clothes you pack." It happens every time... there's always something I don't wear, even though I am sure I will.

Great list Sian. Love the photos from Helsinki too. I was in Helsinki, some years ago, when I went on a rail & bus tour of Norway & Finland. We got right up into the North of Finland - it's lovely there. I remember taking a boat in Helsinki, to visit the zoo, which is on an island of its own in the archipelago. Also remember that we happened to arrive on a public holiday (national day I think) and everywhere was closed... tricky to find anywhere to eat or buy groceries, or anything to do!
We're just back from a trip to Berwick-on-Tweed. Blog post to follow asap!
Happy Holidays!

scrappyjacky said...

Like Lizzie....I always find there are some things I don't wear....and some I wish I could wear more!!
And like Cheri, I usually have too much sunscreen....but never enough insect repellent.

Lou said...

yep I can relate to these...We always end up having to buy suncream for the last day or two...always always pack to much (because i don't want to be caught short and have to do any washing) ... and have taken away new shoes that I really should have left at home. Great photos i look forward to seeing these scrapped.

Eleanor said...

Along the same line as shoes - 'never take anything you haven't yet worn at least once'.
However lovely I thought I would look in those new capri pants in fuschia and teal, I CANNOT wear lowrise with my shape.
They were put on and taken off within 3 minutes, and left behind for the chamber maid. :(
Great list, sure I can come up with more...
E
xx

Melissa said...

Instead of sweaters, it's usually shoes for me - I pack several pairs & wear my favorites 75% of the time.

Our favorite travel saying, mostly for road trips is . . . you never know what you might find a quarter mile off the highway!

Anonymous said...

Boy do most of those ever sound familiar!

Sandie said...

I can relate to some of those Sian, especially the clothes. I always pack far more than I need and come back with many untouched, but our weather is so unpredictable you never know if you will need a supply of tee shirts or jumpers. So a few of everything is always my plan! I love the photos, especially the man with the bottles. Did he make good music with them?

Amy said...

I never plan the correct ratio of jumpers and coats and for someone who has the camera with her nearly every waking moment - the one thing I really want to take a photo of will sail by while the camera batteries are charging ... happens every.single.time!

Maria Ontiveros said...

I'm with Melissa on the shoes - never get those right! I love how this echoes so many of the things that I am thinking about these days while I"m creating my Passport to Art altered book.
Rinda

Becky said...

Definitely relating to some of these! Almost got it right this year though - wore everything I took, but that could have been because we forgot to buy extra luggage weight and so were very restricted on what we could take so that we didn't get stung at the airport for extra kg's!

Missus Wookie said...

The sun is trying to shine here too - very cheery against the roof tops. I'm normally o.k. on clothing and shoe choices - all those years of packing have obviously affected me. However the discovering that something works better or worse than expected yes.... and I'm likely to refuse to buy sunscreen and go with the consequences...

alexa said...

Lovely post and enchanting photos ,,, your list is very familiar! The only one I would add for our family is " you will always lose SOMETHING". :)

Jennifer Shaw said...

Fun post and so very true! Great photos!

ComfyMom~Stacey said...

I always manage to pack a pair of shoes that I never wear.

Barbara Eads said...

How about this one:
No matter how old your children get (even to adulthood) they always rely on mom to bail them out if they forget to pack something---thus "mom" runs out of shampoo, lotion, toothpaste, sunscreen---and the list goes on!! Still, I probably wouldn't have it any other way!

Jo said...

The points about the sweaters and sun tan lotion really made me laugh, so true :)

Unknown said...

I can most definitely relate to the sun cream one. Happens EVERY time! We always had more room in suitcases when the kids were smaller and I always filled theirs. I can't do that anymore as they fill their own LOL

Nathalie said...

Love your detail shots!!! I wish I had taken more photos of my travels now that I see yours... One truth as I unpack today: No matter how great the holiday, it is always wonderful to return home to one's own bed :)

Lisa-Jane said...

Wonderful to have you back! I can appreciate the thoughts about bedtime routines...

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