When it comes to holiday arguments the contents of the suitcase are often one of the biggest bones of contention between members of the opposite sex, usually just before setting foot out of the front door. Specialist 'over 50's' travel review and advice site, Silver Travel Advisor (www.silvertraveladvisor.com) has done a straw poll among its members and travel advisors and come up with its definitive list of what women and men would rather each other didn't pack.
Ten things women would rather men didn't pack
• 10 identical shirts in varying shades of the same colour; a few tiny grey checks or speckled pink dots doesn't make for a wardrobe revolution
• Leather sandals with socks. It's a woman thing. No further explanation necessary.
• Anything made from corduroy.
• A 'family sized' aerosol of shaving foam. Once out of the canister it never goes back in and few men are so macho that they need to shave that often on holiday.
• Embarrassingly large or baggy underwear. It's undesirable to display one's 'smalls' in public, but on holiday there are more opportunities than usual for the undies to be seen.
• A Beanie hat.
• A compass or similar navigation system. Getting lost is part of the holiday experience and no-one should appear that clever in public.
• Camera or lenses that would put the film crew from 'Frozen Planet' in the shade. Big lenses are so 1970's and most holiday shots can be done adequately on a mobile or compact these days.
• Gadgets. They are useless at home and even less appealing after carrying them through several time zones.
• Buoyancy aids. If you can't swim, then don't swim.
Ten things men would rather women didn't pack
• More than three pairs of shoes, ('comfortable', 'evening' and 'sporty' are more than adequate). We only have two feet and one suitcase.
• 'Essentials' such as a universal sink stopper, inflatable coat hanger or lobster pick. Live dangerously, there are some things that you really can manage without for a few days.
• A kettle. It's fair to say that not every hotel room has one, but if you're that far from boiling water then there won't be a socket to plug it into either.
• Photographs of the family. No-one wants to see them. Truly.
• Clothes. Without them life is more interesting and there is no risk of excess baggage.
• A suitcase. Most men would rather the contents arrived magically in the hotel room.
• More than one moisturiser, cleanser or anti-wrinkle cream. They like to see us as we really are sometimes.
• Enough medication to rival Casualty after a motorway pile up.
• Anything brightly coloured, garish or flamboyant that is likely to make you stand out in a troupe of flamenco dancers.
• Embarrassing headwear, what's the point when a simple Beanie hat would suffice?
Right. Who ever said we wanted to go on holidays together anyhow?
