Lessons Learned from my holidays

When packing for travelling on ferry overnight, less is better. There is only so many bags you can pull around with you on the ferry.

The overnight ferry from Ireland to France is a honeypot for 3DS streetpasses.

Weddings in the rain are still great.

My 5yo son is a special kind of party animal.

Three or four days of good weather in France is better than a month of okay-ish Irish weather.

If you can loose your sense of time on holidays, it’s wonderful and refreshing.

Don’t have a tooth ache or loose a filling in France during July (everyone including all the Dentists are on holidays)

Having a car when on holidays is a godsend.

In France, breakfast cereals seem to be either for kids or for women on diets. (I miss my weetabix).

Foamed hot milk is not good for drinking Irish/strong tea, no manner how fancy the jug.

Double check tickets. Make particularly important notes of the ports. Likewise check routes.

Conte cheese does not do well driving for 6-7 hours per day over two days in 30 degrees heat. It smells very bad.

My wife really doesn’t like bad smells.

For that matter, kids don’t do well being in the car for hours in that heat.

Also adults don’t do well driving… with grumpy/restless kids… in that heat… for that long … with the smell of rotten cheese… after going to the wrong port for the ferry home.

Smelly French cheese can survive anything.

Repeat: double check tickets.

Unexpected extra time allows you to discover nice beaches in Brittany.

Always have towels. Sand gets everywhere.

While the instinct to get home is powerful, it’s better to wait three days for the next ferry to Ireland than take the next available ferry to UK, drive across Wales and take a second ferry home. It’s not worth it in money, energy and sanity.

Visit the UK. It appears to be a very nice place to visit.

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