How to Prepare Yourself BEFORE Taking a Trip
THINGs to do before a trip so you don’t have to worry during the trip
Planning a trip and preparing for one are two different things but can easily be accomplished with the proper strategy. We all just want to get to our destination and let the good times roll. But your vacation will only be as fun as you prepare for it.
If you thought planning a vacation just meant booking a flight and hotel and just being there, then I am happy to tell you there is more to it! For guidance on how to plan a trip, check out my article where I share the 5 steps I always follow when planning my vacations.
If your trip is already booked, I know you can’t WAIT to make it to your destination. But there are some crucial matters that need to be taken care of so your vacation experience runs smoothly. There are 5 phases between the time of booking a trip and being on it. If you maximize this time, it’ll minimize headaches on your trip.
Phase 1: The “Just Booked” Overload
Phase 4: Week of (or before) Your Trip
Phase 5: The Day Before/Of Your Trip
During my childhood, I had so much excitement about vacations, I would research every possible thing I could in the days leading up to the trip. I would pack my bags a good two to three weeks before the trip and then I couldn’t sleep the night before because I was so excited.
As I got older, I couldn’t get sleep the night before because I’d be up all night packing and making late-night Walmart runs.
As I matured and traveled more, I developed a system to plan out my preparation before a trip. Anyone who knows me can tell you I am a fan of task lists and breaking down bigger projects into smaller parts. This helps to reduce the chance of missing, forgetting, or overlooking something important and brings stress levels waaay down. If you embrace each phase and tackle all your chores and responsibilities before the trip, you’ll be able to relax your mind and have the best time on your trip.
Phase 1: The "Just Booked" Overload
We all get excited when visiting new places, or even the places we’ve visited before. The prospect of adventure and experiencing something different from our everyday routine awakens our souls. We read all we can about our accommodations: pool, parking, breakfast, room size, amenities, and services. I’ve been so excited, that I read all I could on a hotel’s website including their About Us and Contact page. *hides in shame*
But seriously, there’s nothing wrong with indulging your excitement and getting to know what you’re in for. Look at local eateries and shops. Check out the commute from the airport to your hotel if you didn’t do so before booking. What different amenities are offered at your hotel? Phase 1 is the perfect time to get lost in the research. This satiates our excitement for our upcoming vacation, but will also come in handy when you prepare to pack and get organized.
After a new adventure is booked, I typically meander my way down the rabbit hole. I usually start with in-depth hotel research, followed by Google Maps research, then zig-zag my way through weather, fashion, attractions, restaurants, nightlife, and more. But, I promised something a bit more concise, didn’t I?
Start at the Hub: Your Accommodation
It doesn’t matter the type of accommodation. Personally, I love hotels. But the same rules apply for hostels and vacation rentals. Wherever you stay: get to know your new home! Look at all the pictures available (both from the host site and from visitors). Official websites, Google reviews, Yelp, and TripAdvisor are great places to find pictures. You can also take the time to read reviews, but in my opinion, if this wasn’t done before selecting the hotel, it doesn’t do much justice now.
It’s important to know the rules of your accommodation as well as products and services available. Is there a blow dryer and an iron/steamer ? Great! Leave yours at home. Are there “quiet hours”? Restrictions on WiFi? Parking (paid or free)? These are important details to know before you show up. Otherwise, you might end up like me with a suitcase full of wrinkled clothes in Rome because I didn’t know their hotels didn’t have irons in the rooms.
For hostels and vacation rentals, take this time to also familiarize yourself with safety and security measures. What items are you allowed to bring? Do you have the right safety lock? Where is the nearest embassy, local police station, or hospital?
Don’t let the information overload daunt you! Use my ultimate travel itinerary to keep track of important travel notes.
Map it Out: What is where and how to get there
After soaking up all you can about your hub, head to Google Maps. Start off on a leisurely scroll. See what’s in the area (shops, restaurants, attractions). This is also a good time to start considering how you’ll get around. If you didn’t book a car rental, are you going to rely on Ubers and taxis, public transportation, or walking? Maybe a combination of all 3? That’s perfectly fine! That’s how I typically get around major cities. On Google Maps, you can start to map out how far certain attractions are and how and when you’re getting there. You can easily toggle between ETAs for driving, public transit, or walking. Google also has a great tool showing you popular times at a location. It shows you the trend by the hour and day of the week as well as the current crowd. You can also save locations on Google Maps! I’ve created a “Wants to Go” list on Google Maps to favorite the things I’d love to visit one day. This is also a great way to create an effortless bucket list.
Restaurants: What the fork are we eating?
You may have a restaurant or two (or ten) picked out because you saw it on Instagram and just HAVE to check it out. And that’s awesome! But what about your other meals? Personally, I’d only recommend a maximum of 3 “must-see” restaurants on a trip, depending on the length of time you’ll be traveling. Figure out what attraction is closest and fit it into your schedule around lunch or dinner. For your other meals, you don’t have to plan it out in detail, but at least make sure there are some options in your area when it comes to mealtime. Nobody likes a hangry tourist.
Emergency info: All the important stuff
This part of research doesn’t take long and you hopefully never need to use it. When traveling, especially abroad, it is important to know where your embassy is located and how to find/contact emergency services. Now is also a good time to start researching any cultural differences and practices you should prepare for and respect. We are guests of the world. We don’t want to offend anyone when we visit their home.
A great place to jot down this emergency contact information is my Ultimate Travel Itinerary. Bonus tip: share your itinerary and emergency contact info with your partner, friend, or parent (someone who is NOT on the trip with you). God forbid anything happens, they have something to go off of.
Don’t feel constricted by this order. When the excitement hits, your Google search will be all over the place! Enjoy it. GET LIT! This list is just to put a little method to the madness. But don’t get lost in the madness, especially if your trip is coming up soon. Phases 2-4 are the real meat and potatoes.
Phase 2: The Big List
Soon after booking your trip, take the time to sit down and make a giant list of any and all things pertaining to the trip. This means any task you must complete before traveling, appointments you need to make, or bills and other expenses that may need to be handled before or while you are away. Here are some examples of tasks I put on my list:
Get hair done
Get nails done
Facial/bikini wax
Go shopping
Secure pet/house sitter
Submit PTO request at work
Shave
Find a book to read
Put all travel documents together
Plan outfits
Pack
Final house cleaning
Final laundry before packing
Ask friend/relative for a ride to the airport
Exchange currency
Buy makeup necessities
Pay the water bill
My list typically includes all of these and plenty of other things. The Big List is where you take a moment to gather your thoughts and list them all. As time winds down, some of these tasks may slip your mind. Having a distant perspective gives room to see the whole picture and catch any mistakes before time runs out. Don’t get so caught up as to when these things need to be done. That’s what Phase 3 is for.
TIP: Keep the Big List handy. Maybe on your phone’s notepad. Ideas are going to constantly pop up when you least expect them. Jot it down on the list or add it straight to your calendar.
Phase 3: Break it Down & Do It
I get it. The Big List can be daunting. Depending on how much you have going on in your life, that bad boy can be LONG. But remember, this is an accumulation of tasks you have to do over several days (hopefully weeks or months).
For the Break Down, you will need a calendar/planner. This is where we break these tasks down into manageable subsections.
However you tackle this task is your style. Personally, I start with the tasks that require an appointment or extensive preparation.
For example: personal grooming. If I am booking a hair appointment, it needs to be scheduled as close to the trip as possible. I usually aim for no more than five days before a trip. You want your hair to still be fresh! If I am doing my own hair, I start my shopping process a bit earlier to give myself time to make sure I find exactly what I’m looking for. Nail and wax appointments follow the same rules as hair appointments. Try to schedule as close to your trip as possible. I like to schedule my wax appointments about 3-4 days before a trip.
I also like to start preliminary outfit planning soon after booking a trip. If I am being 100% honest, I don’t think I’ve ever taken a trip and not purchased at least one new piece of clothing or accessory. We always want to look our best when traveling. This is when having the perfect earring to match your dress is essential. Or maybe you know of a photo op you’ll have and have an idea for an outfit. You just have to find it. And to do that, you’ll need time. Schedule time to go shopping in the weeks leading up to your trip. Waiting to hit all the stores in one day adds major pressure and you rarely find what you’re looking for. You never want to be stressed out before a trip.
If you have pets whose accommodation you need to arrange, check early in case you have to make a backup, backup, backup plan. Once you establish where your pets will be staying, plan out drop-off and pick-up times.
Break the Big List down, task by task, until you have an exact or at least general idea of when you’ll perform each task. Some tasks (like laundry, packing, house cleaning, shaving, etc.) cannot be pinned down until you are closer to your trip.
There’s a second part to phase three. It’s quite simple but extremely crucial. DO IT! It’s not enough to plan out your chores. You have to actually do them. Don’t be hard on yourself if you don’t stick to the exact schedule you created, but make sure to prioritize the tasks that need to be done and GET! THEM! DONE! The whole point of this is to avoid last-minute stress.
Phase 4: Week of Your Trip
You finalized details, scheduled appointments, and did all of your shopping. Your trip is around the corner and it is time to reap the benefits of early planning! In between your grooming appointments, tackle the tasks you couldn’t really pin down earlier. This is also the time to get packing! Stick to your packing list as close as possible to avoid overpacking.
Laundry/Housecleaning: I like to try to do everything “handsy” before I get my nails done. I usually clean as close to the day I get my nails done as possible. Laundry isn’t exactly “handsy” in the way of ruining a manicure, so it’s fine to do it after your nails. I like to start packing about a week ahead of a trip and I do my laundry the day before or the day I start packing.
Phase 5: The Day Before/Of Your Trip
The moment is here! You are about to have a kick-ass vacation to wherever it is that you’re going! If you completed each phase properly, you should be relaxing in your bed at a decent hour, undoubtedly looking up more information about your trip. Your luggage is packed, your affairs are in order, and no one got snapped at. You can wake up in the morning, fresh-faced, and ready for adventure! In the morning, double-check your list and make sure those morning-of supplies (toothbrush, makeup, phone charger, etc.) get packed up.
Whenever a task feels overwhelming, no matter what kind of task it is, try to break it down into smaller, more manageable parts. Assign deadlines/due dates for these parts and happily check off each task from the Big List as they are completed.
While the phases remain the same, not every trip’s preparation process will look the same. Shorter trips might require less preparation. Others might require even more. The key is giving yourself enough time to get it all done. Don’t underestimate the amount of time you have. There’s no harm in having your ish together ahead of time!
