In the hustle and bustle of vacation season, we tend to spend most of our time preparing for takeoff; buying sunscreen and bug repellent, reserving the rental car, finding ticket deals on excursions, the list goes on. Although once the vacation is over, part of the “post-vacation blues” is that we often come back to a big mess that was left behind in the frenzy of preparing for the trip! Do yourself and your family a favor this year, and set aside some time before you leave to plan for your return, too. Here are some post-trip planning ideas to get you started!
Clean the house
Leave for vacation with a clean, tidy home! It’ll make your return so much easier. If you run out of time to take care of all the cleaning and tidying yourself, hire a local cleaning service to do the job for you, which can likely be done in one visit when you’re already on your vacation. Or if you only have time and budget to do a few things yourself, starting the dishwasher before you go and making the beds are two small tasks that you’ll thank yourself for when you get back.
Bring a laundry bag on your trip
Coming back home and sorting through all your clothes to do the laundry can be tedious, so lessen the work by packing a laundry bag with you. You can put your dirty clothes into the laundry bag as you go, and when you get home, there won’t be any guesswork or sorting required. Easy peasy!
Lay out your work clothes for the next day after vacation, and clothes for the kids’ next day plans
Let’s face it; you’ll likely be tired when you get home. And no matter the time of day it is that you walk through the door, we suspect you won’t be too thrilled about taking care of all the details to prepare for going back to everyday life the next day. To lend your future tired self a hand, before you leave for vacation: iron your work clothes and hang them up, set out your shoes, have your work bag ready – whatever it is that will help you be more prepared and less stressed. For the kids, you can set out clothes and shoes for daycare if that’s where they’ll be going, or an overnight bag if they’re headed to another relative or their other parent’s home upon return.
Freeze some Dream Dinners meals, so they’re ready for you when you get back
No need to worry about what you’re going to eat when you walk into the house, hungry and tired from travel. Have some Dream Dinners meals frozen and ready to go! If you have a few options, you’ll be able to take a quick glance and choose something that is fast, easy, and a crowd-pleaser for the whole family. Having one make-from-frozen meal front and center in the freezer will make things even easier. Or, if you have someone watching your pets or house-sitting, ask them to take a few meals out to thaw the day before you get home. No need to discuss where to order take-out from, and then be at the mercy of the wait and delivery time. We got you covered!
Plan something fun to do within the next week after you’re back home
We mentioned it before, but post-vacation blues are a real thing. Post-trip planning can help! Parents and kids alike can feel down when returning from a great trip, back into the routine of our everyday lives. Before you go, you can be proactive about this by planning something to look forward to once you’re home again. Maybe a relaxed family and friend game night the following week, a trip to the zoo the next weekend, or tickets to see an anticipated movie. Having a fun event already planned will help you stay on the vacation high, rather than having the blues sneak up on you.
We hope these post-trip planning ideas are helpful for you and your family! Are there other things that you and your crew do before leaving on vacation that have proved super useful? Let us know! Share them with us on social media (Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram), so we can all learn from each other about how to make our vacation transitions even better. If you’re heading out on a vacation soon, bon voyage! And if you’re just returning from a trip, welcome home! Wherever you are in the process, we hope you’re having a happy, healthy summer.