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Have you ever returned home from a fun-filled, relaxing vacation with family or friends, just to get all stressed again? This can easily happen when you realize you need to do a mound of laundry, unpack all those clothes and souvenirs, and you don't have any edible food in your home. Here are some simple solutions and tips you can use to get back into the swing of things at home after a vacation, without losing the benefits of the rest and relaxation from your trip.
Of course, the key to many of these tips is to plan ahead, before your vacation begins, to get their full benefit.
One of the simplest ways to ease back into home life after a trip is to not plan on going back to work the day after you return. Nothing makes you more stressed than needing to be up and ready early in the morning after an exhausting day of travel. This is, of course, even more important if you've got a late flight, or will be suffering from jet lag because of a far away vacation location.
Instead, when making your vacation plans, go ahead and schedule a day off work for the day after you return. This gives you time to sleep in, unpack and do laundry, go to the grocery store, deal with your mail, and otherwise get yourself ready for the week ahead at a more leisurely pace.
You can't feel as at home when you're living out of a suitcase and can't find your toothbrush, and you definitely can't feel as comfortable when you're running out of clean underwear. That is why it's important to make unpacking and laundry a priority when you return. Whether your normal laundry schedule involves weekly or daily laundering, you are sure to be a bit behind after a vacation. Go ahead and use some of your last vacation day to put things back in their normal places, and to get that laundry cleaned and ready to wear again. Make sure to also wash items like swimsuits to keep them from getting mildewed, especially if you brought them home still damp, even though you may not wear them again for a while.
Once you get home from vacation, everyone still needs to eat, but there is generally not much fresh food in the house. Especially if you have children, making a plan for an easy meal or two once you return can reduce stress levels before you have a chance to go to the grocery. Examples include freezer meals you've prepared ahead of time, and can pop in the oven, or something made from ingredients in the pantry that don't spoil quickly, such as spaghetti and sauce.
Even though you'll have a couple of easy meals available for everyone, you'll still need to stock up on groceries again once you return home. If you've carved out a last day of your vacation to finish up errands like these, doing the grocery shopping doesn't have to be stressful or take much time. You can even make a grocery shopping list ahead of time, before going on vacation, so you don't have to think too hard on the day you're doing it. At the same time you go grocery shopping, go ahead and do any other errands you need to do, which could include printing out a couple of photos from the trip to share with friends and family.
Finally, after a long trip the mail, including bills and other notices, has most likely piled up. Take the time to look through everything carefully, identifying any bills or papers that have approaching deadlines, to make sure you don't miss anything. This, in itself, can give you such peace of mind, and help you feel in control after a vacation.
Similarly, if you've not checked your work or personal email in a while, taking the time to do a major review session can be helpful. This is not the same as actually working, but instead just allows you to delete spam and unneeded messages, forward things to others who may need it, and be prepared for what you will need to do later, once you do return to work.
What other things do you do to get back in the swing of things after vacation?
First photo by malias, Creative Commons 2.0
Second photo by lu_lu, Creative Commons 2.0