It’s vakantietijd (holiday time)! Time to get your Caravan (caravan, trailer), get your vakantiekaas (holiday cheese) and off you go to Southern France. But what do you take with you?

Ik ga op reis en ik neem mee…

You know about traffic games. In the Netherlands, we usually do them in files (traffic jams), and so they’re called filespelletjes (traffic jam games). One of them is Ik ga op reis en ik neem mee (I am going to travel and I’ll take with me). The first speler (player) says an item, then the next says that item and another, different one. And so on! The speler that forgets an item in the chain is out of the spel (game), until the last speler is standing. Let’s see it:

Bas: Ik ga op reis en ik neem mee… een handdoek!

Marit: Ik ga op reis en ik neem mee… een handdoek en een badmuts.

Jos: Ik ga op reis en ik neem mee… een handdoek, een badmuts en een plakje kaas.

Marit: Een plakje kaas?!

Bas: Ik ga op reis en ik neem mee… Een handdoek, een plakje kaas en een fiets.

Jos: Je bent wat vergeten, Bas! Je ligt uit het spel.

 

(Bas: I am going to travel and I’ll take with me… a towel

Marit: I am going to travel and I’ll take with me… a towel and a bathing cap.

Jos: I am going to travel and I’ll take with me… a towel, a bathing cap and a slice of cheese.

Marit: A slice of cheese?!

Bas: I am going to travel and I’ll take with me… A towel, a slice of cheese and a bike.

Jos: You forgot something, Bas! You’re out of the game.)

As you can see, you can even come up with some rather crazy things, like cheese! The sky is the limit with this spelletje.

Hagelslag MOET mee!

The Dutch have their own ontbijttradities (breakfast traditions) that they are hard-pressed to give up, even on vakantie. And so the Dutch gaan op reis en nemen mee…

Hagelslag

The famous Dutch chocolate sprinkles for your buttered toast are simply not to come by outside of the Netherlands. Maybe you find the regular hagelslag in the baking aisle. But vlokken? Kwinkslag? Fruithagel? Muisjes? No way. So you gotta take it with you.

Kaas

Or the Dutch kaas (cheese). Gouda and Edam are world-famous cheese varieties and available everywhere – but you can’t compare it with the quality you get from Dutch cows. And so, that vakantiekaas has to come along.

Pindakaas

Pindakaas (peanut butter) as the Dutch do it… It is hard to come by. From 100% Pindakaas, which is simply ground noten (nuts) to special varieties like Pindakaas Karamel-Zeezout (Peanut butter Caramel Sea Salt). The Dutch LOVE their pindakaas. And this sort of variety elsewhere? Nope. So put it in your koffer (suitcase).

What do you go on vakantie with that you cannot go without? Let me know in the comments below!