It’s summer, which means many of us are taking summer vacations. As I’m posting this, I am on a family trip to Mexico. I am so excited to be here with my family, and I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to offer some advice to help you plan and prepare for a vacation.

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1. Give Yourself Enough Time

I need to provide a disclaimer to do as I say and not as I do in this scenario. I did not give myself enough time to implement these tips (despite my best intentions). While I was still ready in time for my trip, I would have liked for my preparation to have gone a bit smoother. This is a chance for you to learn from my experience and give yourself plenty of time to get ready for your vacation.

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2. Tell Everyone Who Needs to Know as Soon as You Have a Vacation Planned

Don’t make the same mistake I did and wait to let people know you are going out of town. I kept metaphorically snoozing the mental reminder to tell people about my trip when it was still a ways away. Ultimately, I ended up forgetting and not giving people who needed to know enough notice. So basically, don’t do that. Tell everyone who might be impacted (boss, coworkers, roommates, etc.) as you know you will be going out of town. It is better to give advanced notice than late notice or no notice.

3. Check in for Your Flight on Time and Leave Early for the Airport

My dad and I sometimes relive the time I missed my flight because I forgot to check in online beforehand. I also left late for the airport, and it was a small airport, which meant everyone on the crew was on board the plane when I arrived. That meant no one was there to print out a ticket for me. Let that be a lesson about the importance of doing everything as early as possible when it comes to traveling.

Photo by Vlada Karpovich: https://www.pexels.com/photo/black-and-green-luggage-bag-on-brown-carpet-7368191/

4. Packing Hack – Leave Your Suitcase Open Next to Your Dresser

Throw a few things in every day as you are getting dressed. This is a helpful strategy if you are someone who procrastinates packing. This way, you don’t have to set aside a chunk of time to get all of your packing done at once, and it feels like less effort because you are doing it a little at a time.

Image by Peggy und Marco Lachmann-Anke from Pixabay

5. Put important items somewhere you can’t forget them.

Since I’m traveling internationally, I put my passport in my suitcase before I even started packing anything else to make sure I wouldn’t forget to bring it.

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6. Prepare Your Entertainment

I mentioned in my post on How To Survive A Long-Haul Flight, that I put a lot of emphasis on planning my entertainment because I get anxious about not having something to do, especially on long flights/car rides or during downtime. 

Download podcasts, music, audiobooks, and shows/movies for offline entertainment.

 It is important to do this ahead of time because airport wifi often isn’t strong enough to complete downloads.

And remember to bring headphones and chargers.

7. Get snacks

Bring easy-to-pack snacks, like granola bars and nuts. 

Photo by Janiere Fernandez: https://www.pexels.com/photo/white-airplane-window-2405101/

8. Be Strategic When Packing Your Carry On

This is an important tip for any time you are flying. Put items you might want to take out (such as chargers, snacks, electronic devices, etc.) in easy-to-reach places. I had to keep digging around my backpack trying to find smaller items, like my laptop charger and my glasses case, which is difficult to do in a confined space. If your bag has an outside pocket, it is a good idea to put your smaller items that you might want to reach there, so you aren’t digging through your bag trying to find something.

Photo by Oleksandr Canary Islands: https://www.pexels.com/photo/woman-walking-on-pathway-while-strolling-luggage-1008155/

9. Get ahead

Do yourself a favor and get ahead of work/personal projects in any way you can, so you don’t feel stressed on your trip. Again this is do as I say, not as I do. In my ideal world, I would have had content ready to go and scheduled (as opposed to finishing and uploading this post while already on my trip). But that didn’t happen, which is okay. Working ahead is definitely a skill I want to continue to strengthen.

10. Ask For Help

My parents were kind enough to offer to go to the store to buy some last-minute items I wanted for the trip. I acknowledge that waiting until the last minute was not a good plan, so I really appreciated their help. If you have anyone in your life willing to help you out in any way, allow yourself to get that support and take one extra layer of stress off your vacation prep. And make sure to say thank you!

I hope these tips help you prepare for your next vacation! I would love to hear a comment about where you are traveling if you have a trip planned. 

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Featured Image: Photo by Caroline Cagnin: https://www.pexels.com/photo/view-of-clouds-2007395/