How to Get Back on Track After Vacation
Happy Travel Season & Happy Summer Break! As a teacher, this is the time of year that I travel a ton. Today I am sharing with you my routine I run through before, during, and after every vacation in order to jump back in as soon as I’m back to normal life!
BEFORE MY TRIP:
1. First, I like to make time for a quick run to the store. I always make sure to grab food that I can have for when I get back from my trip. My go-to is Trader Joe’s where I can grab a few of my favorite frozen meals. It’s important to remember to get food that won’t spoil while you’re away. This step is so beneficial because you will be ready with food when you get home and don’t have to eat out until you have time to go grocery shopping.
2. I always make sure to wash ALL of my laundry. I’m only saying this because I feel like sometimes we only wanna wash what we might need for the trip. But trust me, you’re going to appreciate coming back to a fully clean closet.
3. Next, I am going to start cleaning up my apartment. I always start with throwing out any food that may go bad while I’m gone so I don’t come back to a smelly fridge and house. Plus I throw out all the trash.
4. Next, I wash all dirty dishes and run the dishwasher so I come back to all my dishes being ready to use.
5. Now I am moving into wiping down countertops. I don’t know about you but I always feel more motivated in a clean space so I will be ready to jump back into my everyday routine when I get back. I will also clean my bathroom. I know I will still use it that night and in the morning but it will still feel nice and refreshing when I return.
6. Next, I switch out all of my used towels for clean, fresh ones. If I am really on top of it, I will also wash my sheets.
7. As I am waiting for my laundry to finish drying, I always like to straighten up so everything is back in its proper place.
8. Then once my laundry is finished, I fold and put ALL of it away before I even think about packing. This is important because all of your clothes will be put away so that when you return, everything’s in its normal spot. But it also helps me when I’m packing because I know where everything is and it saves me time.
My space is clean and everything is put away. This helps me to also not get overwhelmed while I’m packing. Completing all of these tasks really sets me up to not have to think about too much while I’m traveling. I know I am coming back to a ready to go space and I can just get right back into it when I return.
DURING MY TRIP:
Another thing that really helps me out is repacking to come home in a way that makes sense. So I use my packing cubes and designate one to dirty clothes and then another one to any clean clothes I have left.
AFTER MY TRIP:
Depending on what time I get home from trips, I make sure to unpack my suitcase as soon as I can. Mentally, this helps me to know that I need to jump back into my normal day to day routine. This is why packing cubes are so helpful because I can literally just dump my dirty clothes straight into the washer and hang up any clean clothes. It saves me so much time.
I put all my laundry away and now I’m getting ready to wind down. I like to go over what I have coming up for the week and also create my to-do list of everything I want to get done this week.
I hope you found this routine helpful as you prepare for your future trips. Happy traveling 🤍
