Time saving tips are always well received and coming home from vacation can be a bit of a mixed blessing. On the one hand, it’s always nice to come home and sleep in your own bed. On the other hand, it also means coming home to a lot of work. There are groceries to get, vehicles to unload and luggage to unpack. Coming back from vacation is just as much work as preparing to go in the first place! On top of that, you’re probably pretty tired too!
With a little bit of preplanning and some simple tricks, you can help make coming home a more relaxing occasion. Why not extend your vacation just a little bit longer by following the tips below!
Time Saving Tips for the Aftermath of Vacation
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Pack with Unpacking in Mind
It’s really easy to just shove things into your bags when packing up at the hotel. While you might have spent a lot of time rolling or folding your clothes for the trip out, dirty clothes are sometimes just stuffed in however they will fit!
If your anything like my family you might even overpack so you end up mixing dirty clothes with clean clothes on the way home. It’s worthwhile to take a little bit of time being organized when you pack up. Not only will this help make sure you don’t forget something at the hotel but it will reduce your workload when you get back.
When you’re traveling with more than one suitcase you can designate one for clean clothes and one for dirty clothes. If you’re traveling with only one suitcase consider purchasing one with multiple compartments. Trying to stick with a budget? Grab some of these mesh laundry bags to keep things separate. PSA – These laundry bags are also amazing when it comes to keeping your socks from being separated in the wash!
Leave Your House Like Your Expecting Company
Nothing is worse than coming home from a weekend trip and finding dishes in the sink or unfolded laundry on the couch. You just want to sit down and rest but there’s your housework staring you in the face!
To make your homecoming more enjoyable make sure you’re nicely caught up before you leave. Leave out some nice smelling scent packets, sweep, put the laundry away and unload the dishwasher. It might take a bit of time before you leave but it will be worth it when you come home!
If you’re feeling overwhelmed by finishing up with the housework and your vacation preparations then you might consider creating a schedule to follow for the week before you leave. Designate one room to clean each day and set aside time to pack. This is much less stressful than trying to do everything the day before you leave!
Preplan your Returning Meal
No one wants to come home and have to hunt for something to make for dinner. Your tired, you’ve been traveling and slaving over the stove or trying to defrost a last-minute meal is hardly fun.
Your options will depend on how long you have been gone, For longer vacations (where fresh food would go bad while you’re away) you might consider just picking up some take-out or if you really want a home cooked meal then pre-plan a meal that you can freeze beforehand and throw into the oven upon your return.
If you are only going away for a few days have some items on hand to create a quick and simple meal upon your return.
Delegate Like the Family Manager You Are
Figure out ahead of time who is going to be responsible for what chore when you get home. Who is going to pick up or check on the pets? Who is going to unload the vehicle, put items away or start dinner? Knowing this ahead of time just makes everything less stressful and working together means it will all get done a lot faster.
If you have been gone for quite a while or to a particularly messy location (does it always rain for your camping trips too?) then laundry might be the worst part of your return trip. Bringing home giant bags of dirty clothes that have to be washed can be a real mood killer.
Don’t want to spend the next week trying to catch up? Then you might consider employing the services of a full-service laundry. While traditional laundromats require you to sit around and fold things yourself, a full-service laundromat like Athens Commerce Laundromat located in Athen’s Georgia does everything for you.
Drop off your dirty vacation laundry on the way home and pick it up the next day. Clean, folded and ready to put away. If you hate laundry, the hours you’ll save after a big trip is well worth the price.
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These are excellent tips. I especially like the idea of leaving the house like you are expecting company. That way you know the house will be clean and ready when you get home. Not much worse than coming home to a messy home.
Yeah knowing you have a bunch of cleaning to do when you come home is a real mood killer haha
Its so hard to get ready for a vacation and make sure your home is clean. There is usually some area that needs dusting or dishes that need to be washed. I think this is the hardest part of going away. I hope I am better at this next time we go somewhere. Great tips!
So true! Going on vacation is worth it but it can definitely be a lot of work!