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Friday, March 29

International Travelling.... Preparation




Before even booking your flights, check your passports.  How many times are we told this.  Now how often do we ignore this?  You don't?  Well I did!







And, for that I was hit £277. Oh yes and add the cost of petrol to Peterborough and lunch out for the family.  This was the cost of two children's passports, one renewal and one new one, and an adult renewal; My eldest now has his first adult passport and the last that I would have to organise and pay for.  As I had left it late, I couldn't take the chance of sending off for them so I booked an appointment with the passport office.  The earliest available appointment was for the Peterborough office, even though Victoria is the closest office to me, the earliest i could be seen would be after my flight dates.  Very dis-organised and much unlike me, although, dis-organisation is my new black dress, I seem to be wearing it a lot lately.  My advice would definitely be, to check your passport dates regularly, set an alarmed reminder in your phone for 9 months before the expiry date, this gives you time.  And, unbeknown to me, they carry over the excess time on to your new passport.
'Did you know that new rules with passport pictures dictate that babies must be photographed with their eyes open?'
It wasn't a problem for me this time around as our baby is a year old, but in son number 3's first passport he was asleep and his eyes were barely open.  He was 3 months old.  What happens if baby is even younger than that?  A silly rule, but, that is just my opinion. So avoid getting pics done around nap time!!!

So....  Passports sorted.

Time to pack.  The Spring collection is now in the stores but the Summer collection doesn't arrive until after we have left.  Bummer!  I am still able to purchase items however as some things are always in stores, Havianas, Toms, swimwear, sunglasses, the only thing I've struggled with are vests for hubby and teen, and straw sunhats, there are some out there but limited sizes and stock at the mo.  We received a ton of hand me downs from my cousin, so the baby only needed sandals and a sunhat.
I washed everyone's clothing and they piled them onto my living room settee, their idea of helping. Tsk!  All clothes are then folded and then rolled and put into the case.  Simples!!!  Watch the video below.

We are staying with my in-laws so there is access to a washing machine, also my husband, and the two eldest will be leaving earlier as they need to return to work, college and school.  The two youngest and I are staying for the month.

My list of essentials:

Baby and kids
Toiletries:

  • Nappies and pull-ups, I plan to have him fully trained by the time we return
  • 4 packs of wipes
  • 1 bottle of Burt's Bees shampoo/body wash
  • 1 bottle of Burt's Bees baby oil, it's what we usually use on them 
  • 4 bottles of Sudocrem kids and babies sunscreen mousse, it's my first time using this, but when I put it on the back of my hand in store, it blended in and left my hand feeling silky smooth.  Sold!  I will do a better review once we are in Barbados.
  • 2 bottle of insect repellent, I've bought Tescos own brand so will review that also
  • 2 tubs of Macadamia Duo Body butter, we scoop out the contents and mix with my 2nd sons prescribed dermol cream.  He has eczema and after much experimenting, we've found that Body shop body butter mixed with dermol is the only thing that keeps his eczema at bay and it's better than hydro cortisone.  I don't understand the science behind it and haven't really researched it, but I know it has worked for the past 8 years; and I know that individually, these products don't work.  Our main mix is mango butter and dermol, we've recently tried the macadamia.  It has also only worked with the Body Shop butters.  Go figure!
  • 1 bottle of Johnson's 2in1 bubble bath & wash.  It was on a deal at Tesco, I loved the smell and thought I'd try it out!
  • 1 bottle of baby powder, it helps to keep cool and dry under clothing, a bit like kiddie deodrant
  • Toothpaste and brushes


Clothes:
Barbados is hot so loose clothing is a must, however, there is a decency policy observed on the island and it gets cooler in the evenings also it's safer to loosely cover up in the middle of the day when the sun is at it' hottest.  Going into town or shops you must be appropriately dressed, no beachwear.  So the idea of packing swimwear only is out of the question!  T-shirts and shorts it is then!

For two weeks

  • 7 t-shirts
  • 3 vest tops
  • 3 thin, long sleeved shirts
  • 7 shorts
  • 3 pairs of socks
  • pants
  • 2 sun hats
  • shades
  • 1 pair of flip flops, the sand gets hot.
  • 1 pair of sandals
  • 1 pair of pumps/trainers, for trips to the caves or climbing
I don't intend to do too much washing so I double up on clothing items for a longer stay.  The baby actually has 30 tops and 15 pairs of shorts!!  Better to be excessive than to not have enough is my motto!


Accessories:
  • Beach ball
  • Buckets & Spades, it's not like Brighton, it's also not cheap to buy them in Barbados
  • Buggy sun cover
  • armband floats
As I will be there so long I am contemplating bringing along some of their toys, megablocks and lego are light, as I need to adhere to weight restrictions.  I still haven't quite decided what to do, the beach is also only a 2 minute walk from my in-laws house so the beach will be our playground!!


2 packs of nappies
2 packs of easy-up pants
30 tops, 15 shorts
neatly packed!!






















2 comments:

  1. This is very important information. Thanks OB&T.

    ReplyDelete
  2. From Tanya Murray on our facebook page.

    I could talk travel all day! Mosi Guard is a brilliant repellent. Girls have never had a bite and its all natural. Have to buy online though. Also found a case for the cabin thats a scooter!!! Its called Skoot (why complicate things)! More a luxury than a necessity though.

    ReplyDelete

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