How to Prepare for Travel and Leaving Home
Traveling to a new place can be stressful, but also really fun and exciting. Before you get to the fun part, you have to think through so many different circumstances. Make sure to pack for what you anticipate will happen and then leave your home to go somewhere else. We are about to travel across the country with 16-month-old twins. It will be our first flight and big trip as a family of 4. Here’s what I have been doing to prepare for travel and leaving our home.
Make Lists to Prepare for Travel
I have a running list on my phone of all my different packing lists, the day I need to pack them, and things I still need to pick up at the store. In the days leading up to a trip, your mind will likely be thinking through random things you need to remember. You may be folding laundry and you think “Toothpaste!”. Having a place where you can jot down all of those notes so you remember them when you need to is a great way to stay more calm and organized when it comes to traveling. We all know that feeling of “I think I’m forgetting something…”. Making lists is a great way to know you have packed everything you need.
Talk Through Travel Logistics
I know it is impossible to fully know what a day of travel will look like. Especially with twins, a double stroller, two car seats, 4 bags, and a husband… but I can imagine. One thing that I like to do is talk through the logistics of the day of travel. What time do we want to leave? What will it look like boarding the plane? How are we going to get our double stroller and twins through TSA? All these little details will happen whether or not you talk about them. I find it so helpful to just imagine what those moments may look like and make a plan.
For example, there will be a moment when we need to get off the plane and find our stroller, car seats, bags, and rental car. Meanwhile, we also have two kids to worry about. We will have the stroller for the twins, we have some large carabiners to hang our backpacks onto the stroller if we want. My husband will carry the car seats and work on finding the rental car and I will take care of the kids. My one mission in life is to prepare moments to be a little more peaceful. I find that talking through the travel logistics with the people I’m traveling with helps me mentally prepare for our new adventure!
Montessori Tid-Bit
Just because I can, I’m going to connect this tip of talking through logistics to a Montessori principle. Orientation is a human tendency. It is that instinct in us that will look up what the weather will be like before we go somewhere so we know what to expect. Or we will look at a map to see what is around us. We may even open up all of the cabinets and drawers in our rental property so we know where things are. This isn’t just a quark, it is consistent with all human beings. Orientation is a huge aspect of going somewhere new.
Arrange Transportation
We made sure to make arrangements for getting to and from the airport. It is nice that we live with family who can help bring us and pick us up from the airport. Whatever your transportation arrangements are, just make sure to give yourself enough time to reach your destination.
Prepare Activities
Whether you are going on a car ride or a plane ride it is important to have activities if you are traveling with little ones. Check out this blog post for some of the best travel activities for toddlers and tips on how to store them for easy access!
Tie Up Loose Ends
Finish those emails, take out the trash, return that package, and eat the leftovers in the fridge. Before leaving it feels good to get all those loose ends tied up. Completion of tasks helps create more mental space. When we accomplish something and can check it off of our list, we have more brain space for other things. I want as much brain space and mental freedom as possible when leaving for vacation. Plan and work to accomplish tying up these loose ends the week before you leave.
Clean the House
I have vivid memories of my mom cleaning like a crazy lady up until the minute we pulled out of the driveway. Now I understand why! As I write this blog post I am also preparing to leave our home for a week. I can’t say if everyone is this way, but for me, I need that peace of mind that things are in order and will be in order when they return. I want the dryer empty, laundry and dishes put away, new sheets on the bed, floors vacuumed and mopped as well as my bathrooms cleaned. Now is that too much to ask for? It may just be. But I can try my best.
Will it ultimately matter? No, because nobody will know the difference…except you. There is something about that feeling of knowing things are in order. Order is valuable to me. I want to come home to a home that is ready for life to continue, not cleaning up messes from before I left. Cleaning the house is one way I prepare for travel.
Prepare for travel by being ready for TSA
My number one goal in life is to make the necessary preparations to help things be as smooth and easy as possible. Okay, not my number one goal, but it is something I strive for. We all know that we have to take food, electronics, and liquids out of our bags. Prepare for travel in this way and anticipate these moments. You also need to take your shoes off and everything out of your pockets. While traveling with children we will need to break our stroller down to get checked. Here are some things I do to help the TSA process go smoothly!
- Have boarding pass and ID easily accessible
- Pack liquids in a zip-lock bag and easy to pull out of my bag (check the TSA guidelines here)
- Wear simple shoes that are easy to slip on and off
- Put all snacks and food into a gallon zip-lock bag
- Have all electronics easy to access
