I’m a creature of habit and as a result I’ve developed a few pre-travel rituals. My longest standing pre-travel rituals are to benefit my future self. When I come back from a trip I’m usually exhausted and stressed. Travel in itself is laborious (hi, 12 hour flight from Istanbul) and by the time I’m home I’m already thinking about all the work that’s piled up in the meantime. So I do a few things before I leave to make it as easy as possible for myself when I get home.
Cleaning
I scrub my entire apartment before I go on a trip. Top to bottom. I get into all the areas that I normally put off (like the stovetop). I do laundry, put fresh sheets on the bed, swap out my towels. Then, when I come home from a 24-hour trek back from whichever country, my space is clean and inviting.
Meal Prep
I always clean out my fridge before I leave of anything that might expire while I’m gone. I make sure that I’ll have basics for breakfast the morning after I get home, even if it’s just peanut butter and toast. And I cook a bunch of meals and freeze them in individual portions. Then when I get home at 10pm totally wiped I can just pop one in the oven without having to cook, grocery shop, or clean up.
Work Management
In the weeks before I go on a trip I make lists of everything, no matter how minute, that I have to accomplish for the rest of the month. Then I do as much of it as possible in advance. E-mails, interviews, articles, blog posts, photoshoots. It makes for an exhausting few weeks leading up to my trip but it takes a lot of my plate when I get home. There’s no getting around the fact that I’ll be working while I travel. But having even one less deadline to worry about can make a huge difference.
What are your must-dos before leaving for a trip?