For the first time since 2019, we’re preparing for a full-scale travel adventure. As I prepare for our departure it feels like I’ve lost some of my travel prep workflow. To help myself get more organized, from both a personal perspective and handling business operations, I did what I do best – I made notes! Today, I want to share those notes with you to help make your travel prep smoother!
Travel Prep: Personal
Getting Isaac and I ready to travel takes a very different approach then prepping for us to be away from Sprucely Designed home base. I approach getting ready for departure day by focusing on three areas: packing, house organization, and document details.
Packing Tips & Tricks
Tip: Start Early
I know it’s hard, but don’t wait until the day before to start packing. This will definitely produce chaos and stress right before you leave. Ideally, I’ll have our suitcase out and ready 3 or 4 days before we leave. This allows me to place things I know we need there straight from the closet or wash.
Tip: What You Need, Plus One
If you have the space and ability, pack what you need, plus one. This will give you an extra pair of socks or an additional t-shirt in the case of an emergency.
Trick: Chargers & Electronics
Several years ago, Isaac started keeping all our designated travel chargers and electronics in one place. When we need them we know exactly what container they are in and where to find them. For us this means phone chargers, watch chargers, laptop chargers, battery packs, extra cables, and headphones. It has saved us a ton of time and stress knowing everything we need to keep our gear running is ready to grab.
House Organization
I like to come back from traveling to a mostly clean and organized house. It’s hard enough to come back from “vacation mode.” Add to that a list of chores to complete, and coming home is a double whammy. So, before we travel for our longer trips (more than 2 or 3 days) I do everything I can to make sure dishes are clean, floors have been vacuumed, laundry is mostly done, and the trash is all clear. If we’re going to be away for a little longer, I’ll clean out the fridge as well.
A few days out I also do what I can to help get the house ready for our cat sitter. I make sure food storage is filled, water bowls are cleaned, and cleaning supplies are easy to find. It may seem small, but it makes her life a lot easier.
Document Details
Separate from packing our clothes, toiletries, electronics and chargers, I keep a small notebook or folder for all the documents we may need for a specific trip. Even though physical tickets and confirmations are needed less and less, we do have a few physical passes we occasionally need like National Park passes. I also make sure that we have our COVID-19 vaccination cards, just in case.
Travel Prep: Business
Whether we are traveling for fun, or fun + business, travel prep for the business side is unique. Here’s our approach to minimize impact to our client community.
Tip: Communication Is Key
Whenever possible, we try to notify our community at least one week prior to our scheduled away time. We’ve found that too far out and folks tend to forget, and too little time doesn’t allow for much planning. So, for us, a week is about right. This could vary for your community though, so do what is best for your clients. We keep it short and sweet and detail out when we’ll be gone and how to reach us in the case of emergencies. We also try to set up “out of office” quick replies for our email while we are away as a gentle reminder.
Tip: Status Quo
Try your best to keep things status quo while you are away. Don’t schedule any major updates or content drops while you are away. If you have automatic updates turned on, pause them. Do what you can to minimize the risk that something will disrupt service during your break.
Trick: Special Items to Pack
There will likely be items you really only pack with you when you travel for business purposes. We approach this much like our electronic travel packs and keep these items together somewhere central. Our travel kit includes business cards and/or handouts, swag (when needed), extra pens and small paper pads for note taking, and a folder to keep things like receipts in.
I’m a planner at heart, so I often find myself carried away by the details of travel prep. Approaching our trips with these tips and tricks helps me feel more organized while also remaining excited about the upcoming event. Let me know how you like to travel prep and stay tuned for more adventure details soon!
