It’s July and I’m counting down the days to my holiday next month. Packing to go away with my family is not the easiest of tasks. The children will try to sneak half their cuddly toys into their suitcase, along with pots of slime and most of the board games in the house. (They’re not the sort of nine-year-olds to be content with a few good books, unfortunately.)

In the days BC (before children), things were a lot simpler. Whether it was a beach holiday or a city break, I knew how many books to pack and what clothes to take. These days, I’ll be lucky to finish one book, let alone get through three.

This has all got me thinking: if I could pack to please myself, what might I buy to take on my travels?

Whatever you have planned for the summer – with big kids, little kids, or no kids – have a good one. (And I bet you’ll get through more books than me!)

• _{A game of Top Trumps is guaranteed to pass the time when flights are delayed (www.amazon.co.uk).}
• _{You can never pack too many T-shirts…(www.notonthehighstreet.com)}
• _{…or bags. Plenty of room for a baguette and half a dozen warm peaches (www.outofprintclothing.com).}
• _{At the end of the day, it would be nice to nice to sit with a glass of wine and update my travel journal (rather than trying to split up a fight between squabbling children) (www.theliterarygiftcompany.com)}
• _{Guarantee a smudge-proof postcard home by using a pencil (www.literaryemporium.co.uk).}
• _{I’ll be having none of that Liptons tea in Europe this year, thank you very much (www.rosieleatea.co.uk)!}
• _{Fancy a game of Bananagrams? Finally, a game for the whole family, which doesn’t require a charger or batteries. Result!}