Ah vacation…time to relax, get away from it all and really enjoy the good stuff in life. You leave your worries behind, and with any luck at all…not your toothbrush! But how do you remember it all, and how do you pack it so you can find it when you need it? Simple: when you go on vacation take along some of the same organizing principles you use to stay organized at home. Then, just sit back, relax and enjoy…
Here’s how:
- Use a checklist. Checklists are fantastic memory joggers, and are especially helpful for staying organized when doing something you do infrequently. The less often you travel, the more important it is to have a reliable and thorough travel checklist. Start by downloading my travel checklist and modify it to suit your travel needs. Then, add to the checklist after each trip to customize it even further.
- Designate a place for everything. We’ve all heard the saying “a place for everything, and everything in its place.” This simple principle makes it simple to stay organized on the road. For example, on my trip to Seattle I took along an infrequently used backpack. I designated homes for critical items: camera in the main compartment, wallet in the inside center zipper pocket, sunglasses in the outside right hand pocket, and cell phone in the outside left hand pocket. I called these items my “critical four” and after each stop I checked to make sure they were put back away…which leads me to the next on-the-road-organizing strategy.
- Put your things away when you’re finished using them. I know…its vacation, but believe me, if you carve out a spot for things and then put them away as soon as you’re finished using them…you’ll add to the overall peace of mind of the vacation. Knowing exactly where to find your camera, wallet, cell phone, sunglasses and any other item that would be inconvenient or expensive to lose makes for a more relaxing vacation.
- Get in the zone. When organizing a room, activity zones make it easier to do the various activities that take place in the space. Think of your suitcase as a small room. Create zones in your bags by keeping similar items grouped together. You could have your morning and night time prep zone and corral items like your toothbrush, toothpaste, face cleaner, moisturizer, etc. into a single cosmetic bag or zipper bag. You could create an outings zone by loading all your outdoor gear like bug spray, hand wipes, sun screen, etc. into a single take along bag. By grouping things together how you use them, it will be easier to do the things you want to do while you’re away from home.
- Leave room for expansion. When you organize a room, it’s always nice to leave a little breathing room—extra space to accommodate a growing collection or new purchases. Travel is no different. If you anticipate buying souvenirs while away, be sure to leave extra space in your suitcase or carry-on, or take along an extra bag to load up with your travel treasures.
- Less is more. Whenever I reorganize and purge clothes from my closet, I’m always amazed at how it feels like I have more…when in fact I have less. Take this principal with you on the road. The fewer things you bring along, the less time you’ll spend keeping track of your things or digging through your bags to find what you’re looking for.
On your next vacation, take along these basic organizing principals…and you’ll create a calm, relaxing (and organized!) getaway.
Thanks for the travel checklist! I’m going to Texas in February and this list will help me prepare for my trip. I love the idea of thinking of my suitcase as a small room with zones, and also having designated places for critical items like my cell phone. This article made me want to get started packing which I usually leave to the last minute! Thanks, Aby!
Once I traveled to a conference that lasted one week and packed accordingly. At the close of the conference, I was asked to stay on to help with a project. I ended up staying a total of three weeks. With the help of laundry facilities and drugstore to replenish supplies, I was able to very comfortably make do with what I had packed for just one week. Now I know that by packing for a single week at a time, I can stay for any length of time should the need arise.
Friends laugh when I tell them my packing list is a 4 page spreadsheet (I’m an accountant & hubby is a computer professional). We’ve refined it over 25 years of vacations – usually renting a cabin for a week so we take some cooking supplies in addition to the usual clothes & camera gear. We generally use several duffel bags in addition to our suitcase so that we can keep categories of things together – electronics, cooking, toiletries, shoes. Nothing is left off the list – underwear, medicine, shoes, camera, cell phone charger, spices, cooler – you name it! I have column for who the item belongs to and what bag it is packed in as well as a description & how many. Depending on time of year we may decide to cross something off without packing it or change the quantity but it stays on the master list. I include last minute things to do like putting in hold for mail at post office, making a thermos of hot tea for the road, grabbing our favorite bed pillows and packing the last minute toiletries. Depending on the food we have planned I hand write what I have to pull out of the refrigerator or freezer at the last minute but the “blue ice” and usual drinks for the cooler are on the master list.
For me a checklist for vacations is a life saver – usually due to the excitement & planning I cannot get my brain to concentrate on what I need to do. My husband tells me I get that “deer in the headlights” look when we’re getting ready for vacation – so having a list is essential. I take the list with us and use it to keep us organized and for repacking. I incorporate most of your tips into my spreadsheet & how we use it.
I can totally relate to the inability to concentrate on what needs to be done when going on vacation! For me that is why my travel checklist is such a lifesaver!
Thanks for sharing your ideas. Love the last minute list! Great idea.
I have used a checklist for years. Before my Dad died I frequently had to make emergency trips when he would go into the hospital. Having a checklist was essential when upset, distracted and trying to pack in a hurry. But I have found it makes any trip easier. I also separate my undergarments into gallon plastic bags. When I arrive I pitch them into a drawer if available, along with anything else that can easily be unpacked. I always use the top 2 drawers with same things on the left and right every time. That way I don’t feel like I am living out of the suitcase. This reduces my travel stress considerably.
Thank you Georgia. I’m so sorry to hear about your Dad. So true that a travel checklist helps for those distracted, upset and last minute trips.
I used to have to travel for business a couple times a year and vacation travel in a car with kids. I would pack a small suitcase with snack things that didnt have to be refrigerated and put it between the 2 of them (stopped the bickering of “he’s touching me -she’s putting her dolls in my space drama too;-) ) along with a couple plastic bags from shopping trips to put trash in until the next rest/gas stop. Then we would put souvenirs in the empty suitcase on the way home. Another trick that I still use (the kids are grown and out on their own) is to keep toothpaste and tootbrush in baggies, along with shampoo, body wash, etc in case everything in a ziplock bag in case of spills) and a couple tealight candles to make the hotel room more familiar. I would keep the toiletries bag stocked with full size (so that wouldnt need to pack several travel size and if I ran low I could use them at home too.) And keep it in my suitcase so that when it came time to pack that would be one thing to check off my list. I also kept spare phone charger in there so I wouldnt forget it in hotel room….or if I did, it was a spare. With my bag partially prepacked I would only have to grab clothes that mix and matched to make enough outfits for the trip, and my briefcase. I no longer travel for business but still keep a bag partially prepacked for overnight trips out of town to visit family and friends.
Thanks for the travel tips! I have strategically placed things between my kids to create more peace in the backseat, too. Works like a charm!
Kristie, I hope those are battery operated tealight candles. Burning candles would be an extremely dangerous fire hazard in a hotel. I suggest using a plug-in nightlight in the bathroom instead. Just enough light spills out into the room to make it easy to get around.
I LOVE this post! We are renting an RV for about 5 days in about a week, so I’m doing that “pre” planning. We already both have a travel checklist we use, but a just love some of your tips – especially the idea of zones, and using a designated place. I often start with that designated place, and somehow, in packing for the return trip, things don’t go back in the same, so consequently, I end up not being able to find things easily….
I also adore the post from the accountant and computer professional….I’m a former accountant and my husband is an engineer….so, go figure….His is a spreadsheet but has multiple tabs – car, air, houseboating, etc etc…
Thanks Ola! Have fun on your RV trip. That sounds so fun!! Glad you got some travel tips from the post. 🙂
Related to “in the zone”: I have my packing list organized by the location of the items. For example items that I keep in a dresser are together. Items that are in the closet are together. I can go to that location and pull out everything I need to pack from that location.