by Wendy
A great vacation often results in a travel-high. You know, that glow from a beachy sun or hike in the fresh mountain air – or the inspiration from a different culture, geography, or language – or simply from the opportunity to relax and recharge. And yet…this feeling threatens to fade, often on the way home. If you’re not careful, your contentedness is quickly replaced by bewilderment as you prepare to face the first week back at work, the pile of mail, and the household chores.

When returning from a trip my Dad always cautions, “Don’t burn up on re-entry.” It’s good advice. Here are a few of my “unpacking” tips to help with the transition.

First things first. It varies for everyone, but first things on my list are generally calling/texting family members, checking over the house, letting the neighbors know we’re back, bringing in luggage, charging phones. I remind myself that I can’t do everything at once – and that I just got back from an awesome trip so no complaining.

Assess the situation. Here are three sample scenarios:
a) Home from a weekend trip on Sunday afternoon? I can usually unpack quickly and get organized for my week ahead before unwinding with takeout, wine and whatever British show is on PBS.

b) Home after being away for a week or longer? Unpacking will take a few days at least. In this instance I might adopt the “at least one thing every day” method – two if I’m feeling ambitious. For example, one load of laundry counts as one thing. Replacing books on the shelf counts as one thing. Putting your shoes or jewelry back in their proper place counts as one thing.

c) Home from an international trip? If I’ve been on flights for the last eight hours and it’s ten at night and I’m working the next day, unpacking happens later. I organize my purse for trekking to the office the next morning, then take a shower and hit the hay as soon as possible. I usually sleep really soundly being back in my own bed but it is SO hard getting up early…as always, I’m thankful that coffee exists in this world.

The #@!k#&* mail. If I’ve been gone awhile the mail can stress me out. I divide up Jack and my stacks, recycle the circulars and weed out the junk. Scan for anything needing urgent attention, then deal with each piece over the next several days. Same rules apply for email really, if you haven’t been keeping up with it during your trip (and I say “good for you” if you haven’t). Delete the spam, zero in on action items. When time permits you can go back and file, categorize, read the newsletters and the joke forwards.

Pre-trip prep, if time permits. Let’s rewind to before you leave on your journey. You’re going to have so much fun. But try and get the house ship-shape so it isn’t a total shock to the system when you’re back. Catch up on your laundry, have clean towels ready, throw out old leftovers in the fridge but stock with snacks/drinks if you’ll be returning home late. Oh, and pack light. We’ve talked about the benefits of this, and shared successes and failures. Not having more laundry to do upon return is just one more reason to pare down and pack strategically.

Prioritize the laundry. Wash what you’ll be running out of soon or want to wear soon. Stick to easy wash and dry loads – save anything that needs special treatment until you have more time.

Consider a treat. These are the little things to help you cope with whatever annoyance/crisis/boredom you find waiting for you. Hopefully nothing more serious than 300 unread emails, a giant pile of laundry, expired milk, and a meeting scheduled for 8am the morning you’re back at work. So order the fancy coffee, go on your evening walks, take breaks to write blog post drafts. You should not feel like you’re being punished for having gone on vacation.

Prepare for the next trip. The last steps of unpacking help you get ready for the next destination. I make a note of toiletries I need to restock. I try to ensure travel toothbrushes and contact lens case have the chance to air dry completely. I use really hot water on paper towels to quickly clean packing cubes, the interior of the suitcase and wheels/bottom of the suitcase.

Do you have any unpacking tips to share?