(ENG only) It’s been a minute since I have been posting something here on the blog, has it? I won’t blabber too long on the what and why, so I’ll just highlight the fact that it feels good to be back at writing, which is probably my favorite part of my work as a content creator. Things have been a bit crazy lately and it’s good to see that everything is slowly falling back into place.

On top of that, I’m headed to Prague with babe for a few days. While we have already both been to Prague before, we have never been there together so this will definitely be a wonderful experience and we’re going to have an amazing time, considering that spring seems to be back for good and the forecast is promisingly sunny and pleasantly warm. I’m so excited to be able to spend some time with him whilst traveling, recharging our batteries a bit and going back into that marvelous state of “travel flow”.

Every time I have a travel ahead and I am headed somewhere, I like to follow a simple routine that usually helps me get ready for my trip and makes things a lot easier when I come back home. Preparing for the travel and making sure that things are also all set and organized when I’ll be back puts me at ease and makes me enjoy my travel experience more, knowing that I don’t have things to worry about.

Usually my prepping plan starts about a week before the travel day and of course proceeds until the last few moments before leaving my apartment, depending on what needs to be done.

A week before.

• I double check all the booking confirmations, note down any important information I might need (addresses, phone numbers, booking numbers etc.), save all the required e-tickets on my phone and eventually contact Airbnb hosts to double check and fill them in with my/our actual arrival time. If I have any specific sights that I want to visit or things I want to do, I like to note down all the relative information too.

• I make a list of all the things I need to do before the trip (errands, things to do around the house etc.)

• I also make a list of things I know for sure I’ll need for my travel and bring with me (it helps me not forget anything important and keeping the amount of things I’ll carry with me under control, since I always travel with just a carry on).

• Finally, I start assessing how many groceries we have laying around (especially fresh fruit and veg and anything that is stored in the fridge) and I start keeping grocery shopping to the minimum to avoid any food waste. So instead of making the usual massive weekly grocery shopping spree, I’d rather buy less stuff and go a couple of times more if needed (I have plenty of grocery shopping options on my way home from work and also very close to my usual subway station, so impromptu visits to the supermarket are not a big deal).

 

About 4-5 days before.

• I continue tackling my to do list, mindfully assigning doable and realistic amounts of to-dos for each day before leaving, in this way I don’t feel overwhelmed.

• I do laundry making sure that the clothes that I/we need for the trip will be washed and dried on time. Also, keeping up with laundry ensures me not to face a huge pile of dirty clothes once I come back home. I will have for sure to do laundry when I’ll be back and coming home into a clean and tidy apartment with no smelly socks or dirty tops in the hamper will definitely be a huge help.

2-3 days before.

• We start cleaning the whole apartment. We divide the tasks so babe and I can do things faster and more efficiently, but we ALWAYS clean the entire apartment before leaving for a trip, regardless if we are going to be away for just a handful of days or for weeks. There’s nothing better than coming back from a trip into a clean, tidy apartment.

• Alongside with the whole cleaning and tidying process, a couple days before leaving, I like to change the towels and bed sheets and wash them. The freshly changed ones will be basically still clean and hardly used when we will be back. And the dirty ones won’t sit in the laundry hamper at our arrival but will be dried and ready to be stored away before our departure instead (if not it doesn’t bother me to leave them on the drying rack as the apartment will be clean anyway and it takes 30 seconds to fold them and store them away when we’ll be back).

• I make sure to also leave enough time for shaving and being fully groomed (eyebrows done, nails trimmed and filed etc.). It makes me feel so much better knowing that I don’t need to worry about all of these things for most of my trip (unless it’s a long one of course), but if it’s something that lasts just a few days I know already that I won’t have to deal with razor, tweezers, nails clippers etc. Plus, waiting for the last couple of days before the departure for a full grooming session is soon but not so soon so that I will become a crazy hairy person during my trip (unless, like I said, the trip is a long one and I have to pack and use my grooming essentials during the trip anyway).

• We make sure to have some ready to eat meals, either leftovers in the freezer or some pantry staples (legumes, pasta or rice etc.). The point is to have something that can be easily and quickly cooked and put together when we come back, so we don’t need to worry about going grocery shopping or about what to cook for lunch or dinner. This steps helps a lot, especially if the day we come back is a Sunday (stores are usually closed here) or a national holiday.

 

The day before.

• It’s time to pack! Normally babe and I travel with just our carry on, so we don’t need lots of time for this process. Using the list we made beforehand speeds up the process and won’t make us forget anything important.

• When it comes to my essentials (passport, wallet, phone) I usually pack them in an easy to access spot or a smaller separate bag for easy reach. If there is anything I need to pack last minute (toiletries, supplements and essentials indeed) I leave everything in full sight and ready to grab, so getting ready will be a breeze.

• Shower. Even though traveling always makes me feel tired and like I haven’t showered in days so I know that I need a shower anyways when I reach my destination, I take a nice shower the night before so I can sleep like a baby and the next morning I am nice and clean and I can focus on something else.

• I empty my wallet of all the unnecessary cards I won’t be needing during my trip. • We leave a copy of our keys to a friend or a neighbor we can trust so they can check our mail box or check the apartment in case of emergency (this especially if we will be gone for a while).

Departure day.

• We wash all the eventual dishes left in the sink to avoid any stinky unpleasant surprise when we come back.

• We empty all trash cans (general waste and compost) again to avoid any stinky surprise.

• We pack a snack for the bus/plane/train travel and fill up our water bottles.

• We give a last final check at the apartment, making sure that all windows are closed and all electric appliances are unplugged and the lights are turned off.

 

And that’s pretty much it. It may seem like a lot but it really isn’t and it makes everything so much easier and smoother in my opinion. Being able to follow a routine and getting ready and set relieves some of the anxiety that for me is easy to build up and I know I can enjoy myself more if everything is nicely organized.

Do you also have a pre-travel routine or do you “go with the flow” and are able to make things last minute? I’d love to know.

Happy travels, xoxo

Jen