Whether you have gone on a month-long trip to the other side of the world, spent a week at the beach, or had a three-day escape (for work or play), these tips will help you beat post-travel blahs and jump right back into your routine.
Pre-Trip: What to do before you leave
The goal of the pre-trip to-do list is to make sure your space is clean, organized, and everything is prepped so that when you come home, it is easy to transition back into your regular routine.
Tidy your space
Before you leave, make sure you do, at minimum, a surface clean — make sure all the rooms in your home are organized and tidy. If you have time, do a quick dust and vacuum as well.Wash your sheets and make your bed
Having a clean, made bed to come home to will make your first night home SO much better — you’ll be able to just crawl right in if you had a long flight or are getting home late.Throw out (or give away) any food that will go bad while you are gone
The last thing you need is to open your fridge to sour milk or rotten vegetables — get rid of anything that is going to expire or go bad before you get home.Empty all of your garbages and recycling
You also don’t want the smell of garbage to fill your home while you’re away, so make sure all of your garbages are emptied, and the recycling is not inside your space.Run the dishwasher
If you have any dirty dishes in your dishwasher, make sure you run it before you leave so there are no smelly surprises when you get home.Make sure there is something healthy in your cupboard to eat when you get home
No matter what time of day you are coming home, you’ll want to have something healthy to grab if you arrive starving. If you are only gone for a few days, you can keep something perishable in the fridge. If you are gone for longer, have something that you can warm up in the freezer.Put your laundry away
If you’ve done laundry pre-trip make sure everything that you have decided not to take with you is folded and put away. You don’t want to come home to piles of laundry.Water your plants (or ask someone to watch them)
If you are going to be gone for a week and a half or less, your plants should be fine if you water them before you leave. If you’re gone longer, make sure you’ve arranged for someone to come over and take care of them.
Post-Trip: What to do when you get home
What you do as soon as you arrive home will set you up to quickly get back to your at-home routine.
Unpack
As soon as you get home, take everything out of your suitcase and put it where it belongs. You need to do this ASAP, or you will end up taking weeks to get everything back to normal.Start laundry
If you arrive early enough in the day, throw everything that needs to be washed in the washing machine. If not, pop it all in the hamper to tackle tomorrow.Get groceries
If you arrive home during the day, swing by a grocery store so that you have some fresh, healthy food in your fridge before jet lag or travel fatigue sets in and the temptation to order pizza becomes too strong.Eat a healthy meal
Travel in general, but especially plane travel, can leave you feeling bloated and sluggish. Make sure you eat the healthy meal that you prepped pre-trip to get your body feeling normal again.Drink lots of water
Travel can also be extremely dehydrating — make sure you drink lots of water before going to bed. This is especially important if you crossed time zones, as drinking water can help your body recover from jet lag.Take your vitamins
If you are a vitamin-taker, make sure you take them before you hit the hay. It wouldn’t hurt to have some extra vitamin C as well — you don’t want to get sick!Have a shower or bath before bed
Make sure you wash off your travel germs before crawling in your nice clean bed! It will help you relax and set you up for a good sleep.
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Meet The Author
Lindsay Shapka is an avid traveler and the creator of The Anthrotorian — a website dedicated to sharing travel tips, stories about adventures, culture quirks, artists you should know, fascinating bits of history, and more!
She is also an artist, marketing specialist, editor, and freelance writer who has work featured on websites, blogs, and in magazines like National Geographic Traveler.
