Save time when you do this…
How do you get ready for your vacation?
Check lists, organizational chart, or throw it all in one bag?
I am going on a trip this week and even though I plan, arrange, and make sure all my clients have everything they need, I am finding myself a bit out of sorts. I have been getting together our paperwork, making sure that we have all the arrangements finalized, the document holder is ready to go (yes, the exact same one I give to all my clients I use too), luggage ready, passports, etc. So why do I feel like I am missing something?
I have a travel checklist I give my clients each time they take their trip to ensure they don’t forget anything. This list includes everything they might or are going to need. Documentation, identification, toiletries, clothes, electronics and charging devices, sunscreen, skis, surfboard, etc. Some of the things on the list most people will never take in their travels. I wanted to create a list for all travelers going anywhere so I included everything from the basics to a bit of the exotic.
I am a checklist kind of person. Unlike my husband who will throw everything in his bag the night before, I pack several days in advance to make sure I give myself time to remember everything. So as I am going through my checklist I am finding it really easy to get my stuff together. I have it all laid out on the bed in our spare bedroom or as my toddler calls it, Yia-Yia’s room as my parents sleep here when they are over. Everything looks in order but I still feel like I am missing something.
Now when you travel in the United States if you forget something you just go to the local store and get it. When you travel internationally there is the confusion of which store sells what? There were some stores in Europe that I had no idea what they sold until I physically walked through the door! Depending on what you need or how bad you need it at the time, you may want to be walking in and out of stores. Now we aren’t going far, the Bahamas, and the cruise ship will have stuff too. I am sure we would be able to find whatever we forget in the Bahamas but it has been almost 25 years since I was last there, I may have trouble finding it. The good news is, I still can’t figure out what I am missing so I may not have to find it.
I was telling my husband that I feel like I am forgetting something. This is the thing you do when you are forgetting something, you ask the person who throws it all together at the last minute. He kindly reminded me that I feel this way about every trip. It seems to be more on my mind when traveling internationally. I guess I could go a few days without vitamins or deep conditioning my hair. After all people for thousands of years lived without these things, I can live without them for four nights.
So with this last thought, I guess it doesn’t matter how you pack for your trip. Even having a checklist doesn’t guarantee me to remember everything. If you forgot something, and hopefully it is something you can live without for a few days at a time, you will survive. So the next time pack for your trips and feel this way, know that you aren’t alone, your travel agent feels the same way when she packs.
P.S. CLICK HERE…I am giving away our check list for FREE just for reading this article. THANK YOU!
Fill out the form below to get started planning your next European Vacation. Looking for a motor coach tour, self-drive, or private tour, we can easily put together the perfect European vacation for you and your family’s needs.
When you book your vacation with a member of the Life is Better Traveling Team, you are supporting local families and business. Thank you to everyone who has supported us over the past 4 years, we have become an AMAZING travel agency due to your support!