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You know the feeling. Vacation is a week away and the excitement is building. Work seems less and less important. You just want the week to fly by so that you can hop on that plane or train or car and go towards a whole new world.
The thing is, you need to make sure that you have your affairs in order before you totally check out. The week before your trip is the best time to make sure that you are totally ready not only to leave for your trip but also to return home. No one wants to come home to a mess, whether that mess is you, your home or something else.
Before I go on lengthy adventures (or vacations as some like to call them), I have several things at home and at work that I need to take care of. I clean, I run errands, I finish projects that I have been putting off. Doing these things puts my mind at ease, which is the best state to be in prior to a trip.
If you are looking for a way to get yourself organized right before a vacation, or you just want to make sure you aren’t forgetting something, keep on reading. I am laying out a list of things to do the week before your vacation.
Stay Healthy
Staying healthy is easier said than done. About a week before my trips I will start taking immune support vitamins. I am a generally healthy person, but I like to give my immune system a little boost right before I travel (and throughout my trip). The last thing I want is to get sick prior to traveling.
Nothing inspires me to eat healthily and drink tons of water like the anticipation of a journey to far off lands. A healthy body is much less likely to get sick. I also like to be super hydrated before the airplane leeches all of the moisture from my body. Make sure that if you are taking medications daily that you have plenty for your trip and after. Don’t forget to pack these!
Basically, you want to be in peak condition before you travel (whatever that means to you). Travel can take a lot out of you, so I find it is best to have so much to take that you don’t run out.
Want more information about staying healthy during travel? Read this post: How to Avoid Getting Sick on an Airplane
Clean Clean Clean
My apartment usually looks like a toddler has been running through it destroying everything. Unfortunately, I cannot blame all of that on my cats. I like to clean before I leave so that I can come home to a clean stress-free space. It makes the return to reality less abrupt.
My method for cleaning is this: start in the location that you will most appreciate being clean upon return and move on from there. That way if you don’t get to it all, at least those most important spaces are clean.
The bedroom is first because that is where I fall first when I return. I wash my sheets and dust and vacuum. I will even sometimes organize my clothes and donate some things that I don’t wear anymore. I do whatever makes my room feel refreshed.
Then I move on to the kitchen, the most important factor being the refrigerator. No one wants to come home to rotten food. Trust me. I have, and I never want to experience that again. Get rid of old food and food that will go bad while you are gone.
After that, I clean the bathroom followed by living and dining rooms. I wash all of my towels and clothes. If I am feeling froggy I will even do some dusting.
Coming back to a clean home will lift that stress from your shoulders and allow you to leave feeling good and return feeling even better. Don’t knock it til you try it!
Make Arrangements for Pets and Plants
I have written a detailed post on traveling without your pets in the past. Make sure that if someone is coming over to watch them they have a key and know where everything is. Also, make sure that you have enough food and treats stocked for them for the duration of your trip.
If you have plants, you will likely need someone to water them for you. A pet sitter can do that, but if you don’t have pets you may want to have a friend stop by occasionally. You could also invest in Wyndham House House System 3-Piece Globe Set,Colorful Hand-Blown Glass Plant Water![""]("//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=quietgirllo00-20&l=am2&o=1&a=B01M32CRKG")
Don’t Stress About Work
If you are taking significant time off from work, you don’t want to be worried about it while you are gone. Make sure that there is someone at work who is aware of your responsibilities and can step in for you if need be while you are gone. Also, finish up any projects that you may have been putting off.
Don’t forget to set an away message on your email so that your coworkers are aware that you are gone. I am big on planning ahead, so I will have schedules set up for any project that I may have happening while I am gone. This just makes me feel more at ease about leaving, and I don’t want people calling me for help while I am trying to enjoy my vacation.
We travel for a reason, and for many that reason is to escape work for a while.
Prepare Entertainment
During the week before travel, I will start making playlists, and downloading audiobooks and books. While everyone has a preference for entertainment during travel, we all like some variety. I may read for a while, then switch to music. I sometimes download movies or shows on Netflix to watch. Keeping yourself entertained is important when you are moving from point A to point B. Be prepared!
Trying to decide what to read? Check out this list: The Best Fiction Books to Inspire Wanderlust
PACK
I saved this one for last because it is so obvious. The week before your trip is when you will finally pack, or finish packing if you like to get a head start. I will do laundry early in the week and have all of the clothes I want to take packed and ready to go. I will decide what I want to have in my carry-on vs. checked bag (if I check a bag).
I like to have everything packed a few days before I leave so that I have some time to remember anything that I may have forgotten. You can also start checking the weather at your destination during this week to determine if you need to adjust your wardrobe at all.
Things that I can’t travel without include: contacts, contact solution, glasses, a water bottle, snacks, toothbrush and toothpaste, Dramamine Tablets Less Drowsy Formula, 8 tablets (Pack of 3)![""]("//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=quietgirllo00-20&l=am2&o=1&a=B004AIC560")
Enjoy Your Next Adventure!
The week before your vacation is an exciting time. You can happily prepare yourself for travel while dreaming of the journey ahead. Take some time and think about what you need to accomplish before you leave for your trip. A good rule of thumb is if you will worry about it, do it before you leave.
How do you prepare for your vacations? Do you have any suggestions that I did not list here?
These are some really good ideas!
Thanks! I was thinking about everything I needed to do and thought, why not share?
Staying healthy is something that I think about right away too. We did brewery yoga right before Iceland. Typically the yoga teacher goes around and gives everyone a shoulder press. Mind you, it’s flu season, and I have a weakened immune system for UC and my meds. I felt bad, but I was like: PLEASE DON’T TOUCH ME!!! I truly couldn’t afford for someone to be sick in class and have their germs spread (and you know someone was probably sick in that larger group).
I am also all about cleaning. We have a cat and house sitter so 1. I don’t want her to think that we live like pigs. 2. Our cats get bored and will destroy everything. Even more importantly, I become borderline obsessive with clearing out the fridge. I hate to see food go to waste, and we can’t just let it rot in the fridge. We don’t really have anyone to give it to so it has to go.
Did you watch Marie Kondo’s entire Netflix series on how to clean and organize?
I save packing for last too! Great tips!
I think that having someone come over to watch my cats is the main motivation for my cleaning. If I didn’t have that, I may get lazy.
I love Marie Kondo! I watched the series and I have her book. I haven’t read the whole thing, but I have used it as a reference. It has helped me quite a bit with organizing and getting rid of things. Though, all but like 3 of my books spark joy.
Reading this post I felt like you were living my life a week before vacation. HAHA. I can totally relate! I gotta say that being healthy that week before is so hard for me because I’m so stressed with everything I have to do. On the last trip, I got on the plane depleted and I kept swearing I was going to get sick. Thankfully I didn’t but the entire trip I felt like I was coming down with something. Leaving in a month to Hawaii for a week, so I’ve started taking daily vitamins (normally I don’t) and I’m totally going to drink some extra Vitamin C a week ahead. Lucky me, I have someone that helps me clean and she comes in to do usually the day before I travel or the day I leave. Such huge help! I’m in charge of laundry though so I wash everything before I leave. I prep the dogs food and make sure they have enough of everything for the dog sitter to give them. Packing is always last minute. I’m so bad!
These are great tips. Definitely made some mental notes since are next trip will be here soon.
I think that everyone is kind of stressed a week before they travel. That’s when it starts getting “real” and we mentally check out because we are so excited/have a million things to do. Getting sick is what I want to avoid the most, so I always try to be prepared! Orange juice and vitamins for days!
I wish that I had someone to help me clean, but I don’t have enough space to justify that. Luckily, having a pet sitter motivates me to clean so that I don’t horrify her with my mess!
I think that packing last minute is good and bad. The longer you wait, the more accurate the weather forecast will be, but also the more likely I am to forget something. I made some banana bread before my last trip and planned to take what I didn’t eat as a snack and then forgot it (not that I could have packed it beforehand). I still miss that banana bread. It was so good…