Tomorrow I’m heading out of town for a weekend getaway with my sister and my Dad. We’re going to Alabama—a place I don’t think I’ve been to since I was in 2nd Grade. (And that, my friends, was a long time ago.)

My Dad and sister are driving down from Michigan, and we’re meeting in Nashville where we’ll spend the night tomorrow night. Then, we’ll continue on to Alabama to visit my Dad’s brother and his family. Should be fun…definitely looking forward to spending time with my family.

This may surprise you…but I haven’t started packing yet. I did, however, update and print out my travel checklist, which is a key reason I can pack late without stress. I love this checklist because, well, I’ve got a thing for checklists. It helps make it simple to be more organized while traveling, without being stressed out about forgetting to bring something or do something before I go.

I’ve been adding to it and tweaking it over the years (and deleting things, too, like Pull-Ups for my kids…it has been a long time since we’ve needed those.) Anyway, here’s a copy download travel-checklist if you’d like to use mine for your next trip, or feel free to use it to create your own checklist for personal use. You may not feel compelled to take a wine bottle opener with you when you go away, for example, so tweak it to suit your needs. And then, sit back, relax and enjoy your travels!

Before I sign of…here’s the “other travel ramblings” part of the post. Just a few things I’m looking forward to:

  • Sleeping in. This 5 AM summer schedule needs a tweak or two (or three.) Extra quiet time is good, but feeling tired and grouchy (which could be a kind way to describe my mood this past week) has significantly reduced my personal productivity, making the whole getting up early thing counter productive. So, aside from sleeping more while I’m away, I will be pondering Plan B for the summer schedule. (Keep this in mind—when you try something new and if it doesn’t work, try something else. Figuring out what doesn’t work is a terrific learning process and not the end of the world by any stretch of the imagination. I’ve learned a lot the past 2 ½ weeks and look forward to figuring out how to tweak my schedule so that my mood and productivity stay in tact, too.)
  • Taking photos. Looking forward to playing with my camera. I’ll be taking along the notes from my photography class and digging into those again, too. But, being a better photographer isn’t about reading a book or taking a class…it’s about taking more photos. Just as getting organized isn’t about taking a class or reading a book, it’s about taking action and organizing something—do something to move you closer to your goal.
  • Exploring new places. We’ll be spending a bit of time in Nashville tomorrow evening (probably just enough time for dinner) and then again on Monday. I’ve never been there, so it will be fun to check it out a bit. If you have been there, live there, know the area well…I’d love any recommendations of things to do and places to eat.

Hope you have a great weekend…and remember tomorrow is Friday, and this week that means Freebie Friday. And it’s a good one—so be sure to check it out. (Finish it Friday will be back next week!)