Tag: travel

Packing Personality: Days Ahead or Last Minute?

There are many ways that people pack for trips or adventures or vacations. If you have ever traveled with at least one other person, you likely know there are options, and also that your ways are not necessarily other people’s ways.

Some folks pack weeks in advance, to make sure all the bases are covered. Some folks pack hours or even moments before they head out the door. Some of us are somewhere in between.

Some of us pack only the essentials and end up with just enough (we hope), and some of us like to pack extra because we like options.

Some of us pack meticulously with color coded packing cubes, check lists, shoe bags and a schedule per day. And for some, we’re lucky we have a matched pair of socks and a toothbrush.

Any of these ways can work for us, I am not here to judge as to which strategy you may choose to use.

Unless, of course, what you’re doing isn’t working for you.

I was chatting with a friend last week, and she shared that she never knew what she would find when she gets to her destination and opens her suitcase. She reports a major disconnect for her between the packing process and the actual traveling she does. Another friend says that the person who packs doesn’t always think of the person who is traveling (yet they are the same person!).

I personally use a blend of styles – there are some things that are always packed, or that I can set aside days before we leave. And there are some things that go in the suitcase in the last 5 minutes before we head out the door. That works for me.

Let’s face it, travel can sometimes be stressful. Even more troublesome is when we let the potential stress of packing and prep keep us from ever traveling or saying yes to adventures.

So, let’s explore options to make your packing work for you, regardless of your packing personality!

Let’s step a few steps back from the packing process to get started: Make sure you own the right clothes, and if you don’t, factor in shopping time. There are times when clients don’t own a swim suit or sturdy hiking shoes or an appropriate rain coat for an upcoming trip. We don’t need to ask why. But we do need to look ahead while planning, and make sure we aren’t buying a swim suit at the airport, or hiking trails in flip flops. And that takes planning. Identify the needs for your trip, check in on what you already own and fill in the gaps at least a few weeks before you leave.

Check the weather for your destination, both current and historical, for when you plan to be there. When you check the weather app today, it may be unseasonably cool / hot, so find out what is typical for your time of year at your destination. AND, still bring a rain coat and umbrella, and / or a few layering pieces for just-in-case.

Have favorites / go-to’s: For example, years ago, when working with a client, she called her typical summer outfit The Uniform. Discussing this further, she pointed out that most of the young moms and fellow nurses that she hung out with typically daily wore a neutral or solid short or skort paired with a colorful v-neck cotton t-shirt. And as we stood in her closet, both of us wearing The Uniform at that moment, I realized she was so right! What are your favorites? What is your Uniform?! Yep, pack that.

Use a packing list, if you’d like, and you can use that as a re-packing list, too, if that would help. When my kids were small, we had a little poster with pictures on it to help them pack. First, all ensembles were rolled up together because it makes life easier and takes up less space. On the poster were pictures of shorts / shirt / underwear / socks per day, with a couple of extras because things get spilled. One nice outfit for church, swim stuff, PJs, one hoodie, shoes. Guess what? This formula still works, even for grownups.

Relatedly, Pack With A Color Scheme: I was looking at a friend’s family photo taken at a Fourth of July family reunion. There were probably 50 or 60 people in the photo. Not everyone matched each other exactly, but everyone had on khaki bottoms and a red, white or blue top. Imagine for yourself what a color scheme would look like, and pack within in that color scheme so everything in your bag matches everything else. My favorite neutral is navy blue, so especially when I pack, I stick with clothes, shoes, etc., that work with navy.

Some final words about clothes – Your Clothes Are Not The Most Interesting Thing About You. I hope. Meaning, pack what you need to make your trip run smoothly, and cut yourself some slack. Similarly, remind yourself that most people you see while you are on vacation, other than the folks you are traveling with, don’t know you and will never see you again. So, to repeat, pack what you need to make your trip run smoothly, and cut yourself some slack.

Here are some of my favorite NOT- CLOTHES packing tips:

Have some things pre-packed / always packed like your toiletry bag, charger bag or cosmetics. A client asked me last week what type of travel bag I use for my cosmetics. I am not a complicated person, so the same small bag that holds my entire collection of cosmetics that lives in my medicine cabinet at home is the bag that goes with me as well, so it’s always ready to go. In addition, I always keep my travel toiletry bag stocked and ready to go. In addition, the charger bag for all of our tech is always packed and in my go-bag for work, so I just need to move it over to our travel bags when we travel.

Take everything out of your wallet and make a copy of both sides of each card, and your passport if you are traveling abroad. Leave the copies and your itinerary with your house-sitter, an adult child, a good friend or in an easy-to-find place at home, in case you have to call home for information.

Assign a home in your bags for your most important items; money, passports, car keys, cell phones and medications (e.g. always the same backpack pocket or the top left inside corner of your suitcase, etc.). You and your travel companions should know where these vital items are at all times.

If you’re traveling by car this summer, keep swimsuits and towels in a separate, ventilated and easy to reach bag, so everyone can get to the pool or lake quickly, and suits and towels have a better chance to dry fully between swims.

I hope these ideas help you out with packing for your next adventures!

Put Stuff Away Before You Take Anything Else Out

Have you ever noticed?  When we are excited about an upcoming adventure / event / road trip, our first reaction is to jump in and start pulling things out to get ready.

Perhaps we are packing for a trip.  We’re leaving in the morning, so we run to the closet or dresser drawers, and start pulling out clothes and piling them on top of a potentially already cluttered dresser or bed.

Sometimes, we have a project for work that must be done right away, and we spread it out on top of the projects already on our desk or work space.

Maybe we’re famished and we need to start dinner, so we pull things out of the fridge to the already crowded counter and then wonder why cooking is such a hassle.

AHHHHH!!! Let me suggest a better way:

  • STOP!
  • Put your stuff away before you start pulling more things out.
  • Just 5 or 10 minutes of clearing out and cleaning up will help you find focus and clarity and a clear work space!
  • As you tidy up, craft your packing list or project plan in your mind.   Then, when your mind and space are de-cluttered, jump in to action!

Let’s go back to packing for that trip.  Take 5 minutes and hang up that pile of stuff on the dresser or bedpost (you know, THAT pile).  Locate and put away your clean laundry, pulling out items you want to take along with you.  Then pull out your suitcase or satchel and get packing!

Need to pack up more orders for shipment?  Finish the ones from yesterday and load them in the van.  THEN… start on the new ones.  A clear work space is always going to make the job go more smoothly!

Back to that new project for work?  Take the 5 minutes to clear up the old project, so the two don’t get mixed up.

Friends coming for dinner, and you just got home with all the groceries? Before you turn on the oven or open one package, take 5 minutes and put your groceries away, setting aside the supplies you need to make dinner on a tray or cookie sheet, and wipe clean the counter.  Just those few moments of putting away and getting ready will make your meal prep a lot easier!

I always encourage action instead of inaction, but we should also be taking the RIGHT action. So, clear and clean up before you leap in and give your next actions some thought.  Then go ahead and jump!

A Seasoned Mom’s Tips for Adventures with Kids

I love living in Chicago, with all the great opportunities for field trips and adventures!   We had a wonderful day at the Museum of Science and Industry yesterday, and as we wound our way through the awesome exhibits, I was reminded of some of the truths I’ve learned by experience over the years.

  1. Go early.  Check out your destination’s website, and find out how early you can enter (for example, MSI opened at 9:30 and we hit the door soon after).  Trust me, early is always better. Parking is quicker, lines are shorter, crowds are smaller.  Go Early.
  2. Plan ahead.  Check out the website for times, parking and logistics, or get the app if your destination offers one.  Buy tickets online, to avoid admission lines when you arrive.  Pick up a map right away, if it is a new destination for you (and map reading is a great skill for your kids to learn).
  3. Ask for Memberships as gifts.  In 18 years of parenting, we’ve had annual memberships to Brookfield Zoo, the Field Museum and Shedd Aquarium, receiving many of these as gifts for Christmas.  Just one trip to one of these locations can make the membership worth the price, and any additional visits through the year show how valuable that membership can be, with “free” admission, food and parking discounts, special events, etc.
  4. Don’t expect to experience the whole destination in one day.  Expecting to spend 10 hours at a zoo / museum / destination with small children is delusional, sorry to say.   I’m an adult, and I will admit to being fried after 5 or 6 hours.  By about 2 pm yesterday, we all were ready to head home.  2 pm was when all the exhibits got really crowded, so we didn’t mind leaving.  When my kids were younger, that 5 or 6 hour time limit usually had us hitting nap time on the drive home, which worked out for everyone (and having a membership means you can go back multiple times to explore).
  5. Pack a lunch. This is not just a money saving tactic, though it certainly will save money. Packing a lunch ensures there is food your child will actually eat; helps avoid long lines at lunch time; and enables occasional snacking when everyone starts to get a little hungry. Leave yourself a cooler in the car, for the ride home, too, with water bottles and more healthy snacks.
  6. Mandatory potty breaks from everyone.   When one person has to go, everyone goes.  And scout out those restrooms when you arrive.
  7. Review Rules of Conduct.  There was a lost little boy at the museum yesterday who just broke my heart.  Happily, he was found just moments after I first saw him, but he was so upset.  His mom did all the right things, though, hugging and calming first, then reminding of the rules.  So, what are your rules (and know that rules will change as your children age)? There are always the “Be Polite, Take Turns, Listen for Directions, etc”, but on adventures, we add: Don’t range too far ahead; check in occasionally; don’t leave an exhibit until you find me; if we get separated, stay where you are and ask for help, etc..
  8. Have your children memorize your cell phone number, or put a business card in their pocket.   Make sure they can say their own full name, your full name and cell phone number, in case they get separated from you.

Happy Adventures!!

Time Management and Life Lessons at Cub Scout Camp

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I attended Cub Scout camp last week with my son, 5 othtree editer Cub Scouts and three other parents.  It was a great time, and I learned a lot, including some life lessons we can all learn from:

Keep the “Get Ready List” simple:

Imagine with me:  20 people sharing one “Kaebo” (restroom and shower house).  Now imagine the line to get in and out of the kaebo at 7 am, before our 7:45 am Flag Raising ceremony and breakfast.  Long line, short time frame, short attention spans.

Needless to say, the Get Ready List for the scouts and we leaders was very short.  Get up, get dressed, brush your teeth, use the kaebo if there is time.  That’s it.  Showering, cleaning up and anything else waited until later in the day.  Luckily (or not), personal hygiene is not a huge priority at a camp in the forest for 8-11 year old boys and their leaders.

Simplify your morning.  Keep the Get Ready list short and the directions clear.

Tell them, tell them again, tell them one more time.

You know that really short “Get Ready List”?  It still needs repeating, especially early in the morning and late in the evening.  For scouts, for family, even for co-workers.

Keep your message (whatever it is) simple, and repeat it over and over and over again.

Don’t wait until its time to leave to announce you can’t find something.

Get ready early so that you can spend time searching for lost items.  Planning ahead allows time for searching, whereas announcing for the first time that something is lost as we leave camp does not.  Plus, then your scout leader won’t get a furrowed brow!

Get ready early.  This holds true not only for flashlights and swim trunks, but briefcases and projects as well.

When you have the chance to nap, take a nap.  Same goes for using the washroom.

I loved my little tent in the woods.  My cot was comfortable, and the evenings were cool and great for sleeping bags!  But the cicadas, occasional mosquitoes and rain interfered with our sleep some nights.  A quiet half hour in camp one afternoon afforded the best nap ever, with the sound of the wind in the trees to put me to sleep.  When you can nap, do so.

And did I mention the line at our bathroom door?  We (at least the women) got in the habit of using the nicest Kaebos around camp whenever the opportunities presented themselves.

When you find a teaching moment, teach.

There are lots of really cool teaching moments in life, but especially at Cub Scout camp in a national forest.  Nature, life, character building, life skills, etc.  And luckily, when life’s pace slows down a bit, we can seize teaching moments as they occur, and really connect with each other and ourselves.

Slow down.  Slow way down.

Camp was Monday to Friday, in a national forest.  My car was parked at least half a mile away from our campsite except for move-in and move-out. We walked a lot, everywhere.   had limited wi-fi and cell signal, and no laptop.  We had a consistent and clear routine as our daily schedule, and nothing else on the to-do list.  It was lovely.

I can’t take you all to camp with me, but we can all learn good things about life from my experience.  Let me know which lesson resonates with you the most!

Simplify your schedule. Lessons From My Little Cabin In the Woods

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cabinDriving three sons to three different activities by 9 am this morning made me long for the unstructured time from this past weekend.  I know that vacations are not real life, though many days I wish they were.

We traveled downstate last Thursday to the Southernmost tip of Illinois, the 70 mile stretch between the Ohio and Mississippi rivers.  It is truly God’s country, green and lush, with hills the size of mountains (at least to our northern Illinois flatlanders’ eyes).   We stayed in a beautiful cabin, slept late, explored and hiked, ate good food and enjoyed each other’s company.  We reveled in the simpler life and slower pace, and here are some things I learned:

Go off the grid.  Wayyyy off the grid. 

If you can unplug once in a while, do so.  It does wonders for your frame of mind.  We were pretty isolated at our lovely cabin.  No wi-fi, news, email or phone calls, and only a random smattering of texts.  It was great.  I admit, I don’t know how long I could maintain the media silence, but knowing it would only last a few days made it easy to take.  I had tech, of course, my iPad with kindle books and movies on it, a large reading pile, a dvd player.  There was a TV with a few channels, but we didn’t turn it on and we really didn’t miss it.

Don’t shop.

Going on vacation is usually an expensive venture for us.  But there was no shopping to speak of at our destinations this weekend.  We were more than half an hour from a major grocery, and the national parks did not have gift shops where my sons typically blow their allowances.  We planned our menu, bought groceries at the last town before entering the National Forest area, and we didn’t buy more.  We ate a couple of meals at restaurants (with my teenagers taking full advantage of the all-you-can-eat buffet at Cave In Rock), and we had gas and lodging expenses, but we came home with much less stuff and a little more $$ than we usually do.

Don’t overpack.

I pack too much, and my sons don’t pack enough.  We should all plan for an outfit a day, with a couple extra shirts and socks, and a set of pjs for every 2 nights, and extra swimming stuff since it doesn’t always have a chance to dry before the next day.  I’m a mom, and have to plan for contingencies, like packing rainwear for everyone that we never used.  But I personally had a handful of items that never left the suitcase.

Our little cabin had bedding, towels and a tiny but well stocked kitchen.  There was one drawer each of silverware and serving utensils, a few towels and wash clothes, 3 pots and pans with lids.  The open shelves for dishes above the sink made access and clean up very easy.  Simple, pared down, just what we needed and not much more.

Pare down your expectations. 

We wanted to get away, explore nature in some new parts of Illinois we hadn’t seen before, and spend some time together as a family.  However, one teenager mentioned very early on that he doesn’t “do” nature.   Grrrr….  So, I asked in my rational Mom voice what his expectations were and what we could do every day that would make him happy, too.  And God bless him, he asked to swim every day, and find some ice cream.  Those were things we could work with, and we made them happen.  Simple, reasonable and specific.  Nice.

Do yourself a favor, and De-clutter your schedule for a few days.

Mondays are always hectic, and this week I had two clients and a class in addition to the regular Monday tasks.  Before we left on our trip, I moved all the non-essential tasks from Monday’s to-do list to later in the week.  It made the busy Monday-after-vacation just a little easier!

So, spend a little time paring down and simplifying, and enjoy that vacation feeling every day!

Boost Summer Productivity with Tech and Routines

my portable office

my portable office

My sons are home with me this week since school has ended for the summer and activities are just starting up.  And while I really like my family, they are quite fabulous, the schedule changes and having them home with me in my office threaten my professional and personal productivity.

The lure is strong, to ditch my computer and take everyone out to lunch, or go on an adventure, or curl up on the couch and watch movies with them.  Also, the interruptions increase, which is a small price to pay for being with my family, but again, those interruptions damage my focus and make simple tasks take way too long, or not get done at all.

So….. what is a working parent to do? A dear client last week suggested that I get a desk that folds out of my van, so I can work anywhere.  I like the image of folding out a desk, but I already can work from anywhere, thanks to cool technological tools.  Here are some of my ideas, maybe they will work for you, too!

  1. Know what is in your in-box.  I have been making a conscious decision to check my work email on my smart phone while I am leaving a client appointment or meeting, instead of waiting to get home.  This may seem like another distraction, but I actually find it beneficial to my focus, deleting unneeded messages right away and spending some of my commute time mentally preparing for the work waiting for me when I get home.
  2. Make your office portable.  I take my IPad everywhere.  I can write up client notes and send them right away, instead of having to wait to get home to compose, edit and send the notes. I also added duplicate apps to my IPhone and IPad, like WordPress for managing my blog, Paypal for invoicing clients, and Evernote for sharing documents among all my devices.  We traveled this past weekend and I took just the IPad instead of my laptop.  I had everything I needed for work and for fun (downloaded movies and my Kindle App) right at my fingertips.
  3. Make it easy to manage and receive your money.  I have been using Paypal a lot lately for my client billing, which shortens the wait between completing client hours and payment – awesome!
  4. Go Paperless.  I cancelled my PO box in May, which may seem trivial to you, but for me it is huge!  I’ve had that PO box since I started my business!  However, steadily over the last 12 months, I have moved my correspondence to strictly on-line so that I could let go of the PO box, with its added expense and maintenance.  In addition, I receive some monthly publications on my IPad now, instead of in print.  My office is not yet Paperless, a goal for 2013, but I am one step closer.
  5. Share the calendar.  I am slowly warming up to the idea of sharing our family calendar online, through google calendars or a similar platform.  I figure summer is the time to decide, before the school schedules start up again in August.

Routines:

  1. Get up early.  I am still getting up before 6 am.  I heard a quote recently, something about how you never hear about the hero of the story sleeping in and taking it easy!  So, I get up and enjoy a very productive 60-90 minutes before my boys get up.
  2. Shave your head (or not!!).  I shaved my head back in March for a fundraiser, and it has taught me a lot (a blog for another day).  It seems extreme, I know, and I am NOT recommending that anyone should shave their head just to save time in the morning, but it is remarkable how much time this change has opened up!  Are there parts of your daily routines that you can streamline for summer?
  3. Maintain your focus.  I am so grateful for my accountability partner, especially right now.  Most summers, I struggle to get even the basics done some day.  With the focus that comes from accountability, I feel I am still moving forward on professional goals despite the summer urge to slack!.

So, what will you try this week to streamline your work and increase your productivity this summer?  Give one of these ideas a try, or share one of your own, I would love to hear it!

Wise Travel Advice From My 9-Year-Old

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road trip

A Re-post from Spring, 2013:  First in my new Travel Article Section!

This past Saturday, I took a road trip with my 8 year old, and I had time while driving to reflect on what great travelers my children are.  My new word this week is “Consistencies”, in place of “routines” or “habits”.  So I looked at what we do consistently, every day, to make traveling and really, life in general, better.

Here are some tips:

Have your kids help you pack.  At my suggestion Saturday morning, my little guy helped me pack our picnic lunch, and packed his own bag of car entertainment (my IPad, his Nintendo DS, a book and the “new” camera his uncle passed on to him recently).  Why does this help?  He knew and liked what was on the lunch menu, and didn’t need to nag me for food.  And he happily kept himself occupied during the drive, when he wasn’t busy snapping digital pictures!

Lay some travel ground rules, for you and your kids:

  1. Safety is of utmost importance.  At all times.  This is non-negotiable.  There is no brawling, moving around the van, yelling, or anything else that will distract the driver or harm others.
  2. Get in, settle down, and buckle up.  Quickly.  This, too, is non-negotiable.
  3. Throw out your garbage every time you stop.  The car will be less likely to smell like old French fries if there aren’t old French fries around.  Makes sense, right?
  4. Use the rest room whenever you are given the chance.  Woe unto the sluggish child who opts to stay in the car at a rest area and then needs a restroom 30 minutes later.
  5. Entertain yourself.  It’s not my job, or your brother’s job to give you something to do.  Pack your own fun.
  6. Don’t make us late.
  7. Clean your stuff out of my car every time we come home.  If your soccer uniform is still in my van, it is not getting washed like it should be.  And you can’t practice your band instrument if it is riding around town with me instead of at home with you.

What my fellow travelers can expect from me:

  1. Safety, at all times.
  2. I will stop at reasonable intervals for pit-stops, gas and snacks as necessary.  Inform me once if you need something, but do not nag.
  3. It is reasonable to expect from the 5 of us, ages 9-44, that we can make it to Grandma’s (2.25 hours), Grandpa’s (2.5 hours), Uncle Sean’s (3 hrs) and the cottage (2 hrs) without stopping.   Don’t expect stops, but appreciate stopping for ice cream on a whim.
  4. We will explore off the beaten track if time allows and we see something interesting (a favorite part of road trips!!).  I am a sucker for hiking and roadside produce stands, and they know it.

Some more travel advice from the 9 year old:

  • Bring a water bottle, but don’t drink it all at once.  Makes the water last longer, and you won’t need to stop so soon.
  • Chocolate car-candy melts quickly.  Starbursts, on the other hand, taste better the mushier they are (he is obviously biased toward Starbursts, but he has a point!).
  • If everyone gets different snacks at the convenience store, we can all share.
  • If you sit in the front seat next to Mom, you get to control the music choices.  I can’t wait until I’m big enough to sit up front.

Establish some of these consistencies with your family!  Happy Travels!

Organize Your Car and Commute

At a class last week, a participant asked:  What can you suggest for organizing my car?

A little background on the participant – she is a busy teacher and mom.  She reports to being in her car up to 3 hours a day, with getting her kids to school and daycare, helping out her own mother and commuting to and from work.  Plus, she and her husband are a one-car family, so she and her car really do get a workout!!

And I appreciate her honesty.  The first thing she did when she parked next to my car in the lot was to look in my windows, to see if I was truly organized.  Everyone does, I like that she admitted it!

So, what can I suggest?  Here goes….

Start with a clean car.  Here is a blog I wrote on Organizing Your Car, outlining the basics of cleaning and clearing out your car: http://colleencpo.wordpress.com/2012/06/05/1040/ .  Check out this blog first, and schedule an hour this week to get this done.

I think this participant was really asking for higher level organizing ideas, to make the process run more smoothly.   So, once the car is clean, how do we keep it clean and uncluttered, and streamline our commuting process?

Keep it uncluttered:

  1. Establish a place in your car for your vitally important pieces, like your cell phone and wallet or purse.  Every time I get in the car, my purse goes in the exact same place.
  2. Make sure to keep your purse or wallet off the empty passenger seat beside you, for safety’s sake and to discourage smash and grabs while stopped at stoplights.
  3. Commit to emptying your car every day.  Keep things moving in and out of the car.  Trash, clothes, paper, outerwear, sports  gear, whatever.   Your car is for transportation, not long term storage.
  4. If you have stuff to pick up or drop off to other locations today, make a list and keep the list visible.  Better yet, keep the items visible if you can, like in the foot well of the passenger seat.

Streamline the Commuting process:

  1. Keeping the car and commute simplified starts inside the house, at your back (or side) door.
  2. Near your door, set up a Staging Area, a flat space for your items staged to leave.  Line up      briefcases, and handbag, errand bag, school backpacks, activity bags, etc.
  3. Keep activity gear in specific bags, like band instrument and music in it’s own bag, or the softball gear for practice, to encourage your family members to get their stuff and in out of the car.  If your child is old enough to be in an organized activity, they are old enough to carry their own bag and be encouraged to help out.  (I say this, and yes, my sons still forget stuff.  We are human and we are working on it!)
  4. I always have an “errand bag” hanging by the door for receipts and return items, mail for the post office, library books or other items to drop off with friends around the neighborhood.  I add to the bag inside the house as things come up, and then take it with me when I run my errands.
  5. Check your schedule the night before and in the morning, make sure you have what you need, and make sure the Staging Area is clean (meaning everything is loaded) when you leave the house in the morning.
  6. Don’t load items you need right away into the trunk or back of the car, for fear of forgetting them back there!
  7. If you run errands for others, try different colored shopping bags for each destination.
  8. When you or your passengers leave the car, listen to the flight attendants in your head.  “Secure your tables?  No.  “Restore your seats to the upright and locked position?”  Well, no, not really.  I meant “check under your seats and around you for your personal items, and make sure to take everything with you when you go.”  Create a verbal check list / chant for everyone:  “coat, backpack, lunch, coat, backpack, lunch…”  or whatever works for you.
  9. When you pick up, repeat the chant so bags and outerwear come home from work or school, and repeat the chant again when you get back home, to bring everything back inside the house!

So, I guess the moral of today’s blog is to clear out your car, and then focus on the commute process to make things run more smoothly!  See you on the streets!

Beat The End-Of-Vacation Blues

Image       We got home yesterday from camp.  Two sons were gone for two weeks, and one son and I were gone for one week.   For the month leading up to camp we plan and dream and get excited, and we have a really great time while we’re there.  So we’re sad when it is over, and that sadness is compounded by the realities of ending a vacation; by 9 am on check-out day, I need to pack up a week’s worth of stuff and clean my little cabin in the woods, then drive 10 minutes up the road and pick up the tired, slightly smelly Boy Scouts with all their gear.  Then we drive 3 hours for home.

I’ve read blogs and tips recently for planning your vacation, but no one seems to talk about organizing the end of your trip.  So let me be the first!

Before you leave:

  1. Tidy up the house and finish all the laundry. Check out these two blogs on the topic: “Did You Remember to Pack the …..”  and “Going Away Checklist” .
  2. Leave yourself frozen meals, or restaurant gift certificates to use upon your arrival (better yet, carry the number to the pizza place and gift certificates with you and pick up dinner on your way home!).

While still on vacation:

  1. Use a laundry bag while on vacation, to keep the clean and dirty separated.
  2. Pack your stuff and luggage (and car, if you’re driving) with unpacking in mind.  Put similar items together.  Put your toiletries in one large bag, and that bag goes straight to the bathroom to be      unloaded.  Our dirty laundry was in two large bags placed right inside the door of my van, to schlep to the laundry room ASAP.

Upon Arrival Home:

  1. Unload the car all the way.  Yes, all the way.  Dirty laundry, apple cores and fast food wrappers really stink after a day.  And it’s easier to get back into the swing of things when stuff is where it belongs.
  2. Start the first of many loads of laundry. My hubby is the coolest, and has been doing laundry for the last 24 hours.

Within a day:

  1. Unpack all your bags and put your stuff way.  Living in chaos makes the end-of-vacation blues even worse.  Yes, put it all away.
  2. Clean out your luggage, vacuum it (I think we brought a pound of sand home from camp!) and let it air for a day or two.  Then store other luggage inside, and put it all away.  Yes, away.
  3. Keep your travel toiletry bag in your bathroom or linen closet, to collect samples and items for next time.

A day or two after:

  1. If you are gone for more than a week, give yourself an extra day at the end of your trip for catching up, doing laundry and generally easing back into real life.  If there is a time difference between home and your vacation destination, expect a day or two to re-adjust for sleeping and bedtimes, too.
  2. Lower your standards for a couple of days, too, sticking with survival mode and the essentials, and slowly easing back into your normal pace.

Finally, make a point to print up those photos, remember your good vacation times and chat about it with loved ones.  Don’t let the end-of-vacation blues taint your good memories!