Joyfully Packing for a Wondrous Trip
Preparing for a trip is half the fun
“A mind that is stretched by a new experience can never go back to its old dimensions.”
– Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.
Being able to go on a road trip was very fulfilling. We surprised our seventeen-year-old son with a trip to Florida this past Summer. My husband and I were celebrating our 20th wedding anniversary.
The last two years had been filled with many disappointments, to say the least. We were looking forward to spending some quality time with each other, which indeed we did. We truly had a wonderful trip.
Some people get stressed out when it comes to planning to be away from home. However, I find much joy in preparing to go on vacation. Today I want to share the planning party before any trip we take.
First, there are booking accommodations
“Happiness consists of living each day as if it were the first day of your honeymoon and the last day of your vacation.”
– Leo Tolstoy
Our trip to Florida was easy to plan. We have been there over a half dozen times. We usually stay in a timeshare with a condo, thanks to my mom. A kitchen makes mealtimes easier and cost-effective.
We typically run to the grocery store the night we arrive at our destination. We usually have our grocery list prepared weeks before we even leave on vacation. We are very conservative with what we purchase, as we hate wasting food.
Then, there are purchasing necessities
“Whoever said money can’t buy happiness simply didn’t know where to go shopping.”
— Gertrude Stein
About a week before leaving on our trip, we usually run to the store to make any last-minute purchases. We check to see if anyone needs a new swimsuit, beach towel, shoes, or flip-flops.
We even pick up a few pairs of shorts, shirts, or anything else we might need. I love these shopping excursions. My favorite part is loading up on tropical-smelling sunscreens, and I always need some new lipstick and nail polish.
On our last trip, we drove, and one significant benefit was shopping ahead for snacks and also staples for the condo. You can’t leave home without the big bag of Twizzlers and treats.
Next, comes packing everything
“Travel light. Live light. Spread the light. Be the light.”
— Yogi Bhajan
My husband is a pro when it comes to packing. Our biggest tip is to start gathering the things you want to take in a pile the week before. As soon as you think of something, add it to the pile. The gathering is the hardest part. Putting or I should say strategically placing everything into the suitcase or bins, is the easy part.
Because this last trip was a surprise for my son, we had to be sneaky. We had to keep our pile of stuff hidden from him. It was tricky, but we did it!
Here’s an extra tip when you’re in and out of hotels: On our family road trip to Montana a couple of summers ago, it took us about four days to get there.
We used a bin system instead of suitcases. We had each day worth of supplies packed in a bin. It made it easy to grab a bin and walk in and out of the hotels.
That’s a wrap
I hope you enjoyed this article sharing a few fun traveling tips. But most of all, I thank you for allowing me to share my joy of preparing for a trip. I hope you learned something new or at least had a good laugh over my weird infatuation of preparing for vacation.
I also enjoy cleaning the house before I leave on vacation. I’m not usually excited to clean on most days. However, when it comes to preparing to travel, it’s different. I enjoy coming home to a clean house. It makes it easier to transition after being away in paradise. Where might your next vacation take you?
I’m writing this as a thank you note for our wonderful trip to Florida and our time as a family together. I’m grateful, and I’m looking forward to another planning party and trip soon.
I also want to thank Trista Signe Ainsworth for her publication, Thank You Notes. This week’s prompt encouraged me to share my joyful preparation for going on a vacation. Happy travels!
