We just got back from a week-long vacation with our family to the mountains! I don’t know about you, but my house, vehicle, yard, and to-do list look like a tornado after I travel.
It takes time to get everything back in order, and chaos seems to reign from every corner of the house for a while.
Here are a few of the things I do post-travelling to make getting back into the rhythm of everyday life a little less stressful!
1. Deal With Food First
Whether it’s travel snacks or coolers of food, I always try to deal with this first! It feels like an easy win to get this done right away so I don’t run out of energy later or end up with food gone bad.
2. Empty The Vehicle
After food, I like to tackle the vehicle, especially if we were just on a road trip or using it for travel! Once I’ve emptied the large items (i.e., bags, suitcases, coolers, etc.), I take a garbage bag and a reusable bag and walk to every door of the car. Garbage obviously goes into the garbage bag and every other item goes into the reusable bag. If there are any items that typically stay in our car, but just got moved around, I put those back in their homes right then and there.
From there, the garbage bag goes straight into our outdoor garbage bin, and the reusable bag comes inside with me to be emptied and sorted. I don’t typically clean the interior unless we had a spill or something that needs cleaning right away, but if you’re on a roll, grab a cloth and give the car a quick wipe down.
3. Start The Laundry
I’ve tried to make this a habit because anytime I don’t do it right away, our clothes end up sitting days longer than they should! Empty your suitcase right away and immediately throw a load into the wash while you’re getting other stuff done—it will feel great to have it dealt with sooner!
4. Give Yourself Grace
Life happens—we’re not always able to do all the things we want to right away. When we returned from our latest trip, we had a couple of family events and work projects to do, so we focused on those first. Give yourself grace to just do what you’re able, knowing that the rest will be done eventually!
5. Relax!
Just because the vacation is over, doesn’t mean you can’t take a break! Travelling can be stressful and there’s so much to think about—it’s important to give yourself time to relax after tackling everything above.
Part of getting back into your regular rhythms means preparing your mind as well—giving yourself the space to reminisce about the memories from your vacation and take a breather will allow you to get back into everything refreshed and ready to go.
Little Minimalist on the Prairies 