ORGANIZATION

Organization for Travel

By Janel Ralat

Here is a fact about me, I LIVE to travel! Pre-Covid, I traveled as often as I could, near and far. A large part of a successful trip is how organized you are before you go. Here are some tips to ensure you’re properly prepared for your next journey.

Before You Leave Home It’s important to make sure our pets are cared for before we leave, but here are a few other areas of your home to make arrangements for:

Mail & Deliveries Have a trusted friend or neighbor keep an eye out for packages that may pile up at the door.

A Whole House Walk Through If you’re going to be gone longer than a weekend. In that case, it’s a good idea to have someone walk through and check out your home every 1-2 days to ensure you won’t encounter any unexpected surprises (water leaks, broken windows, etc.) upon your return.

Remove all trash throughout your home. Also, do a quick clean out of your fridge to avoid a stench greeting you upon returning home.

Check the Weather Don’t assume they’ll be sunny skies on your beach vacation. Check the weather up until the day you leave to ensure you’re properly prepared.

Medications & Essentials A few years ago, we traveled to Sweden. My husband assumed he could easily pick up some contact lens solution once we arrived. With spotty WIFI on our phone, our non-existent understanding of the language, we traveled to 4 stores before finding someone who could point us in the right direction. Make a list of your medications and essentials to pack, ensuring you don’t forget anything!

I give you permission to over-pack, with the understanding that you’ll have to schlep it throughout your trip. I’m in the camp that being over-prepared is always better than being under-prepared.

Frequent Travelers If you travel frequently, then it’s important to have pre-packed bags READY TO GO. I have a carry-on that is used for both air travel and road trips. In it, I have the following pre-packed: over the counter medications (pain reliever, allergy), toothbrush, toothpaste, floss, gum, mints, small snacks (granola bars are perfect), hair ties, a brush, cash, a couple of books and don’t forget a cell phone charger.

Traveling By Car It’s important to be prepared for the unexpected, as we learned one Thanksgiving. We found ourselves stranded in a parking lot in Kingman, Arizona, trying to find a replacement for a tire that had blown out.

Apparently, we weren’t the only ones who needed roadside assistance on a busy travel weekend and found ourselves stuck for over 3 hours with kids in the car. Thankfully, we had plenty of water, snacks, and a roadside emergency kit that contained small tools that came in handy to replace our flat with the donut tire. As the saying goes, Always Be Prepared!

Traveling By Air When flying, here are a few tips to make the best out of your flight. If flying with kids, purchase small, inexpensive toys and games beforehand that they’ve never seen before. Pack them in their carry on keeping them entertained during the flight. Nothing is worse than losing a favorite toy on a plane, been there!

Expect the unexpected. Have an extra shirt packed in carry-ons, over-the-counter meds, snacks, and your phone charger in case of delays.

Bring headphones for everyone. Especially for longer flights listening to music or watching a movie will make the time go faster.

A journey can be successful with a little preparation and planning. Wishing you the utmost joy as you continue to explore our world.V