Monday Matters: 5 Tips for a Smooth Vacation

Happy Monday! We are leaving on vacation Thursday. I wanted to share 5 tips to help make your next vacation smooth and enjoyable.  We are flying to Belize this Thursday and I cannot wait to share our journey with you!  Our trip is the result of needed time-out, alone time together, paying off our school loans, and late twenties wanderlust.

Why Belize? We had entertained the idea of a vacation after paying off our loans and were leaning toward an all-inclusive trip.

Basically, Brad heard on a fishing podcast one can catch bonefish, permit, and tarpon in the same day in Belize.  We love fishing and when Brad joked about going there during next full moon (seriously). I jumped on it like “this is totally doable!”  Side note: spontaneity really gets my blood pumping and I feed off it. Planning this trip has been motivation for all aspects of my life, from cleaning out my closet to reexamine my life to getting back in super shape. I overanalyze everything and feel overwhelmed when I am stressed. This trip is a much needed vacation for Brad and I to clear our minds!

Of course, vacations are also stressful to determine logistically.   It always seems like chaos to leave and acclimate back into our lives.  These steps may seem obvious, but I wanted to share my 5 must-do steps to make vacation smoother.  Many of these are obvious, but how often do we actually take and apply these steps?

5 TIPS FOR A SMOOTH, RELAXING VACATION

1. Clean your house.  Although I have gotten my home cleaned professionally on three glorious occasions, normally our bi-weekly cleaning marathon falls on me.  When you go on vacation you want to feel rejuvenated and refreshed.  I also get this feeling when my house is clean.  Dust bunny weight in my house is proportional to my stress level.  I am inspired to unpack quickly and maintain my relaxed disposition when I return to a clean home.  Plan to have all your laundry complete so all you have to do is wash what you wore on the trip.
2. Change your sheets.  This one goes along with #1.  I change our sheets out of necessity from an incontinent pooch nearly every other day, but there is nothing quite comparable to sleeping in your own bed.  Leave your room new, clean, with a candle and lighter by your bed. This will carry over that vacation high and help you get great rest before returning to work.
3. Pack ahead of time.  This seems obvious, but I cannot count the number of times I have been mentally debating outfits at 1 AM before we leave.  For this trip, I wrote down what we were doing each day, determined  how many outfits and swimsuits I would need, and packed strictly what items I needed.  I thought everything out and plan to have my carry on suitcase sitting by the front door all week to remind me how close we are to our getaway!
4. Check out of work completely.  I am fortunate enough to have a day job that allows me to check out when I am not there.  My company is smaller and we all do a great job of covering for one another during time off.  Most of my friends only get 10-15 days off work, which is far less than any other country in the world.  In addition, it is a shame how often I see people email on vacation. Do everything in your power to make those vacation days actually count so that when you are at work you are performing with your best abilities and self. Keep your wifi off, work ahead of time, and find a way to truly check out.  Keep work and emails out of sight and out of mind. Make a promise to yourself to not even check your work email.  In my case, I am writing all my blog posts ahead of time as well and I found subs for my yoga classes a month ago when we first booked the trip.
5. Do not overplan, but be sure to plan downtime.  My hubby will tell you that I am a total time optimist.  I have not experienced a plethora of travel opportunity in my lifetime, so when I do go somewhere I want to see everything.  Our honeymoon in Paris was sooo busy and we returned exhausted. We have excursions planned in Belize 3 of 5. I determined a list of recommended hotels and food places in San Pedro.  Believe it or not this is the least we have ever planned for a trip and we planned our last full day, Monday, as a relax-by-the-ocean day.

Where is everyone planning to vacation this summer? Comment below as I love hearing about your upcoming adventures.  Have a wonderful Monday and remember: YOU ARE ENOUGH.

Joyful Regards,

Audrey