Vacation awaits you. Sipping a cocktail or climbing a mountain, whatever your thing is, it’s just around the corner. There are always a few things I need to do before vacation time can begin. I have a vacation prep routine I can’t miss. By preparing for vacation, it means I can actually sit back and take that well deserved deep breath.
5 Things to do before vacation
I want three major areas of my life taken care of when I leave for vacation. Work, the house, and of course the “kids” (also known as our fur babies). Doing the following five things help make sure this happens.
1. Ask your pet sitter to do a few more things
I always hire a petsitter. Even if our dog is staying with my Aunt on a trip, I want someone at the house with the cats. This way they can also water any plants, get the mail, and take out the trash cans on Wednesdays.
When I hire a pet sitter for the first time, I have them come over and meet everyone. I then pay them to walk our dog for a few days so that if he is also staying at the house- they are acquainted before we leave. I have been lucky that a few past students who have a love of animals are my pet sitters and I totally trust them.
Lastly, I ask whoever is watching our animals to text me one photo a day of them. They have never had a problem with this and do it without me asking. This gives me serious peace of mind.
2. Get ahead on work
Before leaving on a vacation, it’s pretty normal to stay on top of the work you need to do right then. I also make sure I am at least one day ahead of schedule with work for when I return.
You know that saying “I need a vacation from my vacation.” I try to avoid the swamped feeling with work by getting any assignments or planning done for the day I would return to work. This way I can take it slow and only focus on the e-mail catch up.
3. Clean the house from top to bottom
You will never find my house cleaner than the day before we leave for vacation. First, I have people staying at home, so I need to leave it presentable. My pet sitters always keep the house as I left it or better.
Leaving a clean house takes some serious stress off my shoulders for when I return home. I don’t want to walk in the door and already be creating a list of things that need to be done.
4. Do all the laundry
I wash everything before leaving. This includes bedding and blankets, and especially any towels in the hamper. No one wants that gross mildew smell to greet them when they return home from vacation.
Doing all the laundry also makes packing easier. I can see all my clothes, and choose outfits accordingly.
Don’t forget to fold it and put it all away. Don’t leave more work for your return.
5. Buy a book and turn off notifications
Yes, I purchase a book before a vacation. I could use the library, but for a vacation, I don’t. It’s like a signal to my brain that I can let go and relax. Plus, when I get back I always give the book to someone else to read and pass on.
Then, when I set my phone to airplane mode, I typically never take it off. This way, unless I purposely connect to Wi-Fi i am not going to get notifications. Turning off some access to my phone is the best thing I can do on vacation. I bring my book with me instead. (Of course, I connect to Wi-Fi in the evenings to get photos of the babies)
Actually being able to relax
If you didn’t notice from this list, I’m all about returning home and not having to stress out about work or the house. I can relax on vacation knowing our animals are being taken care of and the plants won’t die. I can pull out my book and actually get to read something that’s not work-related. It’s exactly what I need to do before a vacation in order to truly enjoy myself.
What about you guys? What do you accomplish before leaving for vacation?
