Vacation season is a wonderful time of year. Whether you fly around the world or road trip to a familiar spot, vacations give us a chance to relax and be renewed by a change of scenery. Preparing for vacation can be a busy time. You might want to check out some of my tips here and here to help you get ready. Equally challenging can be the time immediately after we return from vacation. We need to unpack, make up for the time away, and reinsert ourselves into the standard daily pattern, all of which can feel abrupt. Here are a few ideas for how to make getting back from vacation easier.
A Smooth Re-entry Starts with a Strong Exit
Back in college I had a roommate who taught me the value of leaving a space the way you want it to look when you return. Admittedly, when you are dashing out in the dark to catch a flight, this isn’t easy. Nevertheless, believe me when I say you will appreciate any efforts you can put forth toward leaving your space clean and orderly. In fact, I offer a “while you are gone reset” for existing clients so I can get their spaces back in order and ready for their return.
In addition to putting things away, you can also help your future “back-from-vacation self” by stocking a couple of food items to get you through your first day back– e.g., coffee creamer, breakfast bars, frozen pizza, etc. If you really want to up your game, assemble a grocery list of food you want to purchase as soon as you get home.
Lastly, if at all humanly possible, schedule your return with a buffer day, at least for the adults. There will inevitably be a list of tasks that you need to tackle, so try to give yourself a free morning or a light day so you have the bandwidth to recover. This is especially critical if your vacation has taken you to a different time zone from which you will need to adjust.
Repack Wisely Before You Return
On vacation, we usually want to eke out every last second of fun before we have to come home. At the same time, as little as an hour of mindful preparation can ease your transition back to home. For instance:
- Don’t bring home junk. Flyers, maps, straws, shells, rocks, and other low value “souvenirs” that you picked up along the way will probably end up junked in a drawer. Before you pack an item into your suitcase, give it a serious look and ask yourself if you want to have to find a space for this when you get back.
- If you have the option, do some laundry. Unpacking clean clothes is easier than dirty ones. It’s not a must, but if you have the luxury, even a load or two can help.
- If laundry facilities are not available, or if you just can’t bear to waste vacation time doing laundry, at least sort your dirty clothes. You can use plastic bags from the hotel or bring some from home. This way, you can easily start a load of laundry as soon as you get home.
- If you use packing cubes, reload clean clothes into the cubes. These can be pulled out and quickly placed near where the contents belong in the house.
- As you prepare to exit your vacation home, remember to conduct a “last check” in the hidden spots to avoid leaving something behind.
Remind Yourself What is Coming Up in the Week Ahead
While you are on the plane or in the car, take a look at your calendar and check your messages. This will help you know exactly what you will need to be dealing with in the upcoming week. Capture and prioritize your tasks so you don’t miss dealing with the most important ones first. We tend to deal more effectively with what we expect (vs. surprises), so consider this a chance to reorient your mind to what is coming up.
Tag and/or Group Your Photos
Another good “while traveling” task is to review all the photos you have taken. Delete the bad ones/duplicates and consider adding keywords or tags so you will be able to find these photos later. If tagging each photo is too much work, move the photos into a digital album with the date and location of your trip. Additionally, make sure your photos are backed up to the cloud or an external drive.
One nice habit to get into is printing a photo book (e.g., through Shutterfly) with some of the best photos of the trip. You don’t need to include every photo, just the ones that you like the most and elicit the best memories. While you don’t need to order a book right away, as you review your photo collection, flag the ones that you think might be good candidates.
I generally suggest people wait to post their vacation photos until the trip is over because they can end up alerting the world to the fact that you are not home. Once you are on your way back, feel free to post away!
Make it a Priority to Unpack
This can feel like a low-priority task, but leaving items to sit in suitcases for days only makes life harder.
- Begin by taking everything out of suitcases and moving the suitcases back to their storage location(s). Suitcases can be big, so we don’t want them clogging up space. Also, if you have disposable luggage tags that were added during the trip, remove and dispose of them now.
- Next, put the dirty laundry near the washing machine or in hampers, and if possible, get a load started. Then put clean clothes and shoes away.
- Unpack toiletries and personal care items and put them back in the bathroom (or wherever you keep them). If you travel frequently, it is handy to have a “travel” area where you keep items like travel-size toiletries, foreign power adapters, travel containers, and duplicates of supplies you regularly use (e.g., hairbrush, razor, shaving cream, etc.). These can go in a bin on a shelf, in a drawer, in a bag on the floor of the closet, or even be kept inside of your luggage.
- Make a pile of “new” stuff (e.g., souvenirs) that needs to be given a home. Aim to establish spots for them within one week.
The most important thing is not to wait for “free time” to unpack because this rarely emerges in the busy days after vacation. Push yourself to walk around and put everything fully and completely away.
Remember that even small children can help put things away, and it is important for everyone who benefited from the vacation to know that unpacking is just part of taking a trip. Avoid the temptation to plug kids in front a screen and do it all yourself. I know that this can be quicker in the short term, but it sets you up for a lot of work (and possible resentment) in the future.
Triage the Mail
You will likely come home to a pile of mail. It’s a good idea to triage the big stack, rather than dumping it into a basket or heaping it into a pile to deal with later. Dealing with mail will only get harder the longer you wait, and you might miss something important.
Bear in mind that the days after you come home from vacation are not ideal for looking at catalogs and junk mail. Recycle anything that isn’t critical right away and sort the rest into action piles. (Click here for more information on how to sort the mail.)
Restock Food Supplies
While you may have a few shelf-stable items on hand, odds are that your food supplies are low. Many people find that ordering food is the easiest way to quickly restock, whether that be prepared food for dinner or a grocery delivery. If you arrive home late at night, plan on getting food the next day.
Water Plants and Retrieve Pets
This one doesn’t apply to everyone, but if you are a plant person (like I am!), your plants will probably be happy to have a fresh drink.
Depending on the time of your return, you may also want to pick up any pets that have been staying with others or boarded. Make sure they have fresh food and water.
Charge Devices
It’s likely that your digital devices will be drained when you get back from traveling, so plug everything in so it will be ready to go the next day.
Review Spending
After a vacation is a good time to make sure you are clear on all of your vacation spending. This isn’t something you need to do on the first day, but it’s a good idea to gather any receipts, and then set aside a time to review them and online statements to ensure everything looks correct. The odds of being recompensed for errors or false charges decrease as time passes.
Enjoy the Glow
It’s tempting to just “dive in” when we get home from vacation, and the long list of tasks often makes this mindset necessary. Nevertheless, it would be a shame to proceed as if the vacation never happened. Be mindful about reliving the memories over meals, talking about highlights, sharing favorite photos, and otherwise keeping the glow alive.
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Vacations are work, but the emotional payoff is worth the effort. What do you do when you first get home from vacation to make your life easier?
Seana, such great reminders!
I am pretty good about all of these. My weakest is having needed groceries on hand for the return – especially milk for my morning coffee. I think on my next long trip I will ask my son to come in and leave some fresh milk. After coffee everything is manageable. 😉
I agree – having to get started without the coffee is a pretty tough first moment of re-entry! How nice that your son might be able to stock you up on a couple of things. The ability to make a grocery list and schedule delivery is a bonus that is available these days. Even if this isn’t a person’s normal habit, it might come in handy after a vacation!
Vacations are the best! However, it can be stressful when preparing for them and re-entering life after returning. I LOVE all of your suggestions for both sides!
Your suggestion to leave your home in great shape so it will feel good when you return is terrific advice. This is similar to the organizing philosophy of clearing the decks before going to sleep (getting back to square one), so you can wake up with clarity, calm, and ready for a fresh start.
We often have the Post office hold our mail when we’re away. When I pick it up upon return, I sort the junk mail and toss it at the post office, so that it doesn’t even enter our house. The few pieces I do keep are easy to put where they belong (file or action).
I love coming home to a clean, uncluttered home after being away. Before leaving for vacation, I do a quick clean, empty the trash, put away anything that has strayed from its storage spot, and wash the sheets and towels.
Upon returning, as you suggested, I unpack right away and put away the luggage. I also typically restock my toilet kit so it’s ready to grab the next time I travel.
I love walking back in to a clean home. It’s like a “welcome home.” Coming back to a mess is double work… catching up on what was left from before, and then needing to unpack and get ready for the week ahead. I wasn’t always able to do this when I had littles, especially if we were up and out in the early morning. But I always make an effort, know whatever I can do I will appreciate later!
Usually we have the post office drop off accumulated mail, and I also sort over the recycle bin to keep it out of the house.
These are all great tips. I love the idea about not bringing junk home with you. The other idea that resonated with me was going through the photos and deleting duplicates or any you know you don’t need to keep.
Why I ever brought back maps of tourist destinations is beyond me LOL!
You are singing my song here. As part of my vacation prep, I always like to organize and clean a little extra so that I come home to a spotless bathroom and kitchen, and if I have the time, I change the bedding so that the night I get home, I’ll slide into fresh sheets.
I’m a huge believer in packing cubes so that any clean/unworn clothes can go in one, if applicable. If I’m visiting family, I’ll do laundry and come home with 95% clean clothes that can just be put away; if it’s hotel travel, literally everything goes in to the wash. I remove the cubes (and anything else) from my suitcase immediately. If I don’t arrive too late, I do all my laundry the night I return; otherwise, it’s completed the next day. I can’t feel at ease until everything is clean and put away.
I’ve never thought of deleting bad photos right away; what a great task to keep from being bored in the airport!
All in all, a super guide for making re-entry a smooth experience!
I get the laundry going as quickly as possible myself. It’s such a luxury to have in-house laundry. This task gets harder if you need to head out to the laundromat. But being pre-sorted always helps!
The hardest part for me personally is feeling like it all has to be done asap. I work at pacing myself to be sure I use my energy wisely. I also come back early to work in all these tips.
I think it comes down to accepting a mindset that allows you the margin to reenter at a pace that is healthy and successful. Sometimes we push ourselves to be productive at the expense of properly resetting, and this can backfire down the road.
We arrived home at 4am yesterday, so we weren’t up for much of anything, but we unpacked everything and did two loads of laundry. Still a bit tired and unready to routine to my regular routine (and work) so I was hoping to find a magic bullet in your post. Instead, I found reassurance that we’d done all we could to prepare for and ease into the transition, giving me confidence for the days ahead.
There is no “magic bullet,” I’m afraid. But preparing in advance, and embracing a re-entry mindset can go a long way. I know you will be back in the swing of things in no time!
I am pretty good at this. I always unpack immediately and if not too late in the day I start a load of laundry. I also like to make something like soup or chili and freeze enough for the first dinner when we get home. It just gives me more time to do other things when all I have to do is warm dinner. I liked the suggestion to leave things like like sea shells and tourist maps behind. I also make sure to tear up the travel info already used such as plane arrangements before coming home. All these things help make coming home easier-coming home is not the happy part of the trip.
That’s a great tip to leave a frozen, easy-to-heat meal in the freezer. You often have a lot of extra tasks in those first couple of days, so I can see that this effort would give you one fewer thing to think about!