What to pack for a holiday on a houseboat

If you’re tired of boring hotel rooms in uninteresting locations, we recommend trying a houseboat holiday. More specifically, a stay on one of our luxury, dog-friendly barges based on Suffolk’s breathtaking waterways.

This unique experience will leave you with unforgettable memories – and most likely a hunger for more holidays just like it! However, with a houseboat holiday being such a one-of-a-kind style of trip, it can be difficult to know what to pack in your luggage. To help you out, we’ve put together a guide of essentials to bring with you.

In the meantime, we hope you’ll consider booking a stay on one of our beautiful barges. Click here to find out more.

The Woodfarm Barges houseboat holiday packing guide

1. The obvious: clothes!

Although it’s important to feel at home in your floating holiday cottage, you don’t want to scare the local population.

We advise dressing for the season. Summer in Suffolk is divine, and you’ll just need a light jacket to keep you warm if you’re spending the evenings on deck. If a winter houseboat holiday is on the cards, then wrap up warm for winter walks as you never know how chilly it can get!

Don’t worry about the houseboat being too cold in winter, as whomever you’re holidaying with will most likely have a heater inside – if they’re humane! Both of our barges are fully insulated and feature proper central heating systems, so you won’t have to worry about layering up when you’re on board.

Flat shoes are a must when you’re getting on and off the barge, and we advise bringing a good pair of walking boots or shoes whilst you’re out and about. A sun hat, sunglasses and sunscreen are also recommended in summer.

We provide a breakfast basket filled with local foods

2. Food and drink

If you’re holidaying in the UK, it’s unlikely that you’ll need to bring bottles of water; refurbished or modern houseboats will have clean, running water as standard.

At Woodfarm Barges, we offer a breakfast basket for you to enjoy, filled with tasty local goodies. We also provide tea, coffee and sugar – because we all like to have our little comforts when we’re away from home!

When travelling to our barges, don’t haul loads of food with you. There is a variety of shops nearby, which will provide you with all the groceries you need during your stay. If you’re partial to eating out, you’ll find a great selection of high quality pubs and restaurants within easy walking distance of either barge. Suffolk is a foodie county, so there’s plenty to enjoy!

There’s plenty of entertainment on board for a rainy day

3. Entertainment

There’s so much to do on a houseboat holiday that you’ll never need to bring much in the way of extra entertainment. Most houseboats these days are equipped with electronics, board games or books, and if none of those take your fancy then there is always the opportunity to explore the local area.

Our Onderneming barge features a flat screen TV with DVD player, and a DAB radio, whilst our Twee Gebroeders barge offers all the above, plus two more TVs and a Playstation. We also love when our guests get out into the Suffolk countryside, so we offer free bike use with both of our barges.

 

 

There’s plenty of space for your toiletries on our barges

4. Toiletries

Just like staying at a hotel, it’s common to bring your own toiletries if you have a preference of skincare or haircare products. Some essentials to bring in your washbag are shampoo and conditioner, shower gel, and a toothbrush and toothpaste.

At Woodfarm Barges, we offer luxury hand soaps in both our barges, which smell delightful, as well as shampoo and shower gel. Any extras are up to you – so whether you’re a one-product-fits-all person, or you need all the products on your bathroom shelf, feel free to bring whatever makes you feel at home.

5. Bed linen and towels

We provide towels and bed linen as standard

Houseboat holidays tend to be more of a luxury experience, so expect your bed linen (at the very least) to be included. Towels are often included, but it would be worth checking ahead to see if this is the case.

Our barges are complete with comfortable beds, pillows, duvets and bed linen included. We also provide towels for all guests, including hand and bath towels in our fabulous bathrooms.

We hope we’ve helped you in packing for your houseboat holiday. Wherever you’re headed, we know you’ll have a unique experience, and we hope you’ll consider us for your next houseboat holiday. To find out more about our historic Dutch holiday barges, click here.