6 Travel Tips to Help You Prepare for Your Summer Adventure
“Fill your life with adventures not things. Have stories to tell, not stuff to show.” – travelmelodies.com
Spring is my favourite time of year, enjoying the warm days and cool nights before the humidity arrives. This is also when a lot of us are planning and looking forward to taking a trip. After we have had restrictions for so long, now more than ever people are travelling whether they are day trips, road trips or visiting other countries. Having helped many clients get organized and ready for travel I noticed most have the opinion that they will get all their work and other tasks caught up before they leave and feel that they can pack last minute “It won’t take to long.” Yes, you can get it done last minute but things almost always get forgotten.
The following are suggestions I share with my clients to help them take the anxiety away from having to travelling to far away beaches, mountains or just going away for a few day trips.
MAKE A LIST: Start a list of what you would like to bring a week or even more before you are going to leave. Leave the list somewhere where it is accessible so when something pops in your head, and it will, you can add it on. You now, always remove items from the list last minute but for now just list everything that comes to mind. Don’t forget to put all documentation needed, passports, vaccines etc. on the list.
Drop off area: I always have a bin or area that I assign ahead of time when starting to plan my trip that I will put any items I come across that “I want to bring this with me.” I also do that when I do my laundry, I put clean clothes that I may want to bring in that area also, so I know that they are clean and ready to go. I like to keep my list where my drop off area is so if it is on the list, I can tick it off, so I don’t have to go looking for it last minute.
Packing cubes: I am sure you have heard of using packing cubes when travelling but I am going to mention again as they are the best for keeping your suitcase organized and items are easily retrievable. If you share a suitcase with a spouse or your children, then think about giving each person their own colour of packing cube so that you not only keep their items separate they can easily retrieve their own items without going through yours.
Clothing: Roll vs fold: I prefer to roll my clothes as it minimizes wrinkles and does use less space.
Technology: Today most of us have at least one, if not many, electronic devises that we always have on hand. My suggestion is that you have one suitcase, container, packing cube, whatever size you need to hold all the electronics that you will be using. By designating a spot where all unused devices or plugs are kept, eliminates everyone looking for them and you can keep an eye on what is missing when it is time to pack up. It wouldn’t hurt to put in a few battery packs for extra power.
Bring a first aid medical kit. Along with the usual first aid items like bandages, icepacks, gauzes etc. and make sure you add allergy medications if you come across something new and get a reaction. Also don’t forget your after-sun cream for those burns caused by to much sun. In a car have blankets, flares, candles, lighters, water, protein bars, in case your vehicle breaks down.
If you only do one of these tips, make sure you make a list. No matter what age it is hard to remember everything when life is so busy around you. Take time to enjoy the experience with your family and friends. Safe travels.
At Chaos to Clarity we help our clients with individual organizing needs; Downsizing, decluttering, office organizing, estate clear-outs and move management in the Burlington, Oakville, Hamilton, Mississauga and surrounding areas.
