With Christmas break just around the corner, I thought I would share a few things that I find are very important to do before packing day in order to avoid stressful situations. Here's the list:
1.- BUY EVERYTHING YOU NEED: So, let's say you are leaving home for the Holidays on Saturday morning, therefore your packing day will probably be Friday. Now, let's say you need to buy shampoo, lotion, tampons, travel size containers and that you need to do all your Christmas shopping before you leave. DON'T wait until Thursday or Friday morning to do everything! Yes, of course it's possible to go to Wal-mart, get your Christmas shopping done and pack a whole suitcase in one day... but honestly, do you really wanna get yourself in that situation? I know I wouldn't. So, assuming you're leaving on Saturday morning, you could, say, do Christmas shopping Monday and Tuesday, go to Wal-mart, Target or wherever on Wednesday, take Thursday for giftrapping and putting everything on travel containers and finally, pack calmly on Friday.This way you won't want to rip your hair off and I guarantee everything will be more efficient and enjoyable if you do it beforehand.
2.-WASH: If you're leaving for a trip and you know there are certain clothing items you wanna take with you that need to be washed, ironed or dry-cleaned, again, DON'T wait until the day before and definately DON'T wait for packing day to do it! I've made the mistake of washing clothes a day before I pack and in most situations they are not dry by the time I need to pack everything. Other times, clothes would be dry but I still needed to iron them, and we know ironing is tiring and it's not something you can do quickly. There were also times in which I didn't have a chance to pick up my dry-cleaning before I packed, or it simply wouldn't be ready by the time I needed it. Bottom line? Wash, iron and send clothes to and pick them up from the dry-cleaner with enough anticipation so that you won't have to even think about that near packing day. REMEMBER: Same thing applies for makeup brushes that need to be cleaned, do it beforehand so they will be dry by the time you need to pack them. Remember packing wet makeup brushes will generate bacteria and you don't wanna put a brush full of bacteria anywhere near your face, do you?
3.-SLEEP: Whether you are going to the most beautiful beach in the world or just coming back home, travelling is certainly one of the best experiences ever but it sure is exhausting, specially during the holiday season. In addition, getting ready for a trip and packing can be very exhausting as well, even if you get organized and take enough time for everything. So, even if it sounds silly, one of the best tips I could give you is: Sleep well. One of the main reasons why I find organizing so important for travelling, is that when you organize there is less chance that you will stay awake all night washing, ironing or packing. Getting enough sleep before travelling is important in order to enjoy your trip and being able to stay up all night on Christmas Eve!
4.- CLEAN UP: Everytime I know I'm gonna be packing, I try to clean up my room as much as I can. I focus mainly on clearing up every surface (nightstands, vanity, bed, shelfs, etc.) and putting away everything that's out of place or that doesn't need to be out when I pack and leave. This way, I can use free surfaces to put toiletries, clothes, accessories and whatever I'm taking with me before I actually put it in the suitcase. In addition, I won't get confused with the things I'm taking with me and the things I'm not. After I pack everything, my room looks put together becuase there's nothing laying around. Plus, when I come back tired as hell, I know I wont have to clear my bed in order to lay down!
5.- BUILD A NICE ENVIRONMENT!: On packing day, after I cleaned up my room and right before I start packing, I do the next steps: Get into some laungewear, light up my favorite candle, play some music, get my packing lists and make sure I bring lots of water and snacks (like grapes or dried cranberries). I guarantee this will make the packing process more pleasant and stress-free.
Hopefully these tips turn out to be useful for you. If you decide to try them out or already do them please let me know what you think in the comment section below!
Hope you are having a wonderful week!
No comments:
Post a Comment