The Great Wind Up

I don’t know about you, but traveling is always a bit stressful for me. Not so much, the actual going and doing, but the pre-travel hoopla and the returning home re-set. Stressful is probably not the exact word to describe how I feel but certainly a sense of anxiety surrounds the whole about-to-leave-home event. Probably because I’m the planner in my traveling group. Plans don’t just happen people. They develop. And that takes time.

Whenever we go somewhere, I start making my “lists” about 2 weeks before the actual departure date. I don’t want to forget anything, so I write everything down – as I think about it – so I won’t forget to add it to the list later. Besides the packing, there’s all the ordinary, everyday, mundane things that have to be taken care of before leaving home. Nobody else in my house does those things. But they have to be done, so if I don’t do them, chaos ensues.

For instance, any perishable food should be eaten up or disposed of before leaving the house for a week or two. Nobody wants to come home to green fuzzy science experiments in the refrigerator. Sometimes this takes some careful planning so you don’t use up the milk too early, but none will go to waste either.

Then there are the pets. Before leaving our precious pets in someone else’s care while we’re gone, I have to make sure they have enough food and enough medicine until we get home. I have to make sure the pet-sitters know how to properly care for our beloved furry friends and who to contact in the event of an emergency. Which means, making a list.

Things like making sure the mail gets picked up or stopped during our absence, the garbage cans don’t get left on the curb for a week or two while we’re away, making sure the bills that come due while we’re away get paid in advance, and other boring stuff like that. Someone has to do all of these chores and that usually means leaving a list for whomever will be caring for the home while we’re away. And, planning ahead.

Add into that mix the fact that my elderly dad will be here by himself while we’re gone. So, I need to make sure he has enough prescription medications to last until we get back home. I need to make sure he has food to eat and knows how to adjust the air conditioner and other little details like that. I need to make sure his bills get paid while I’m gone. I also need to arrange for someone to stop by and check on him periodically to make sure he’s okay. Another list.

Then there’s the pre-packing laundry, assembling enough underwear and socks for the duration of our vacation, deciding how many pair of shoes is too many, making sure everything fits in one suitcase but is not over the weigh limit. It’s a lot my friends.

I like to have at least 12 hours before we actually leave the house on vacation just to unwind from the pre-hype of getting ready to travel. Because on the actual day of travel there is the hassle of packing the car, finding a place to park at the airport, getting through the security line with the proper paperwork, unpacking half your carry-on luggage to remove computers, tablets, etc., removing your shoes, sweaters, emptying pockets, pushing all twelve bins through the machine – because everything has to have its own bin – and then hoping nothing beeps or flashes when you hold your hands up and spread your feet in the x-ray tube, gather up your things on the other side as quickly as possible because 400 people behind you are trying to get their stuff as well, repacking everything back into your carry-on, re-typing your shoes, putting your sweater back on and saying a little prayer that you didn’t forget anything is stressful. Now, I need another 2 hours to decompress while I wait on pins and needles to make sure my flight isn’t going to be cancelled at the last minute for some stupid reason.

This my friends, all happens in reverse upon arriving back home. The unpacking, the laundry, the putting everything away, the grocery shopping – because there was no food left when we left the house – sorting through the mail, cuddling with the cats, all while slightly jet-lagged. Whew! I need a vacation from the vacation. I’m not sure how people who travel all the time do it. I’m exhausted just thinking about taking a trip. But, I love to go places.

How about you guys – are you the vacation planners in your house? Do you start your packing early? Or are you like my husband and throw a few things into a suitcase the morning of your flight? Do you utilize lists for vacation organization, or do you just wing it and hope for the best?

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Word of the Day: Eclaircissement

Fun fact about me: I’m actually a very good suitcase packer. I can get a lot of stuff in one bag.

Original post by Jansen Schmidt, September 2022. Images by Google and giphy.com