7 Tips For Less Stressful Travel
Last week I was out of town for a work trip. It’s the first time I had flown since March. I had quite a few trips for family, work, and play planned this Spring, but of course, they were all canceled. I have been privileged to travel quite a bit in my life. Many (almost all) of those trips had one or two kids in tow. Sometimes travel can be really stressful. Even when we are supposed to be on a fun trip it can get crazy and the fun is gone when travel is stressful. (I plan to do an entire blog on traveling with kids.) Here are a few tips that have helped me to keep travel less stressful. I had a really great trip last week and I hope something I share here will help you to have a great time next time you go out of town.
Before you leave:
Make a good packing list. This helps you to pack what you can early and then you just have to add the last minute things right before you leave rather than all of your things.
On the note of packing - pack light! Your suitcase will be easier to carry. (I try to do carry on as much as possible so I don’t risk losing anything or waste time standing around the luggage carousel.) When you get to your hotel room you will be so glad you don’t have to deal with a lot of stuff.
Leave your house clean. Of course, this is easier without kids. :) I have turned on a video and given them a snack and told them to stay put when doing my final sweep of the house. Don’t forget to take out the trash! You will walk in to a clean house when you are tired from traveling and be so thankful you took this extra time.
While you are there:Take a few minutes each night and morning to straighten your hotel room. If you have packed light this makes it so much easier.
Keep a portion of your routine. Obviously, we can’t keep all the things we do while we are at home. And we don’t want to, especially if we are on vacation. But grab something that will make you feel productive and centered, even if you’re on vacation. I try to keep my morning routine when I am out of town. I wake up before my kids and try to get some quiet time to do my devotion and a brisk walk or some exercise. This may just take an hour in the morning, but it makes my day start off so much better.
Think twice about those souvenirs. When we are out of town, we sometimes have extra time on our hands. So we hit up these quaint little shops and end up with things we don’t need and might not even really want. Then you have to figure out how to get it home if your suitcase is full and when you get home you have to find where to put it. Save your money for a fun experience that you will remember much longer than the t-shirt that will shrink the first time you wash it.
When you get home:Unpack as quickly as possible. If I am traveling with my family we usually unpack in the hotel and then designate one suitcase for dirty clothes. That suitcase can just be placed in the laundry room and I know anything in the other bags is clean and can be put away. I utilize the kids to take things to their rooms and put them away either that night or first thing the next morning.
These are a few simple steps I follow to keep stress down when traveling. I know it’s tempting to bring extra things “just in case.” And I fully believe in being prepared. But let’s all think of that poor family we see in the airport. They are likely first time parents and have literally brought the kitchen sink. That level of overwhelm is not fun on a trip. So pack light, keep some order in your life, and have a blast on your trip!