How I Prep When I Travel
This is a long process even when it is a short trip. Firstly, we have chickens, bees and a dog so how the heck can I ever leave! Well I will tell you. I do a lot of prepping and way more worrying. Luckily, for now we do have a nephew that likes the space so he can hang with his friends but some of our trips are multi-week trips and it gets old not sleeping in his bed that long. So, I try to accommodate by finding someone else to stay at the house. I print out my file that gives all the animal information so in case of an emergency and make sure there is plenty of food so that no one has to jump through hoops for me.. That is my first step!
Another step when I travel is making sure our luggage, travel bags, coolers and anything else we need is ready and in good condition. One of my favorite luggage companies is US Travelers and can be purchased on Amazon at a very reasonable price. I also use collapsible holders for clothes for the inside of my bags. Because we stay in hotels on our way up and down the coast for a night or two I usually bring a large bag that I keep my make up bag in, an outfit or two, pajamas and my straightening iron instead of bringing in all my luggage for a one-nighter. We also bring a small cooler for our wine and beer and small snacks.
For our big annual trip, I book the hotel stops well in advance to make sure I can get the hotel and the room type we enjoy. We do the biggest stretch on the first day and then shorter ones (still long drives) the other two stops. Doing the prep in advance and staying organized will surely help your trip go smoothly and stress free!
The other bullet point we do prior to our trip is getting the Jeep up to date on all its stuff. Sticker (cause its always on my birthday month), oil change, tire rotation, and a really thorough once over to make sure she will make it. Its worth the time and money to do so we worry less about whether the car is going to make it.
Lists are our friends for trips. Work, packing clothing, packing a cooler and alcohol, animal watching, clean the house and fill it with food for the guest watching the animals, vehicle safety, kids schedules. I end up with a very large list and as I check off I tend to re do the list and think of other things we need. As tedious as it sounds it is a life safer.
