What’s the best part of a trip? I’m guessing you’re not going to say it’s unpacking from vacation. Since we are beginning to get back into traveling in 2021, you might be making plans for a well deserved trip! I wanted to share ideas for getting organized after travel. Here are some tips from my own experiences.
It all starts with a plan, of course! You have probably seen that when you pack really well before you go away, unpacking your bag is much simpler.
Pack Well
Take a few minutes to steam or iron items prior to packing them. Everything looks better this way and you will be more motivated to unpack a wardrobe that you enjoyed wearing!
Pack 3 kitchen sized bags in your luggage, Use them to keep your freshly pressed items from wrinkling in your bag. fold the bag in where wrinkles can form. Wrap a few items around each other to keep them flat as well.
Prepare to Unpack!
When you are getting ready to leave, take a few minutes out of your last full vacation day to separate laundry into the 3 bags. Set aside the pieces that you still need to wear. Then sort. Darks, lights and any dry cleaning can each go into 1 of the kitchen bags. Packing cubes help here too, especially if you never ended up wearing a piece of clothing. Nice to have it separate from the rest. You will have a much easier time unpacking from vacation if you spend a few minutes prepping your things.
Make a mental or real note (don’t go crazy you are still on vacation!) of anything that worked really well or that you would not bring again. In other words, what didn’t you wear. For me it’s those extra tops and pairs of shoes.
Pre-treat any stains with a shout wipe.
This way when you open your case at home each bag of laundry is ready for the wash.
Once you are home, start up the washer. Since some of my things get put away until the next trip, I like to use a laundry booster like Oxi Clean to be sure clothes get really clean.
While you do the laundry take out any beauty items. Clean off and put aside things you can use for your next trip. Put away all the items you use regularly.
If you can afford to do it, keep duplicates of beauty items reserved for going away. You could consider a makeup case that had your regular routine packed and ready to go. This is one of my goals, because I have forgotten to pack things like a brush or lotion in the past. No matter which way works for you, notice what you didn’t use and cross it off the list for next time.
Take out your shoes and clean them off and put them away. Again, take note of any you didn’t use. It’s easier to think about the type of shoes you might need next time right after a trip! Make note of what to bring next time. I did this the last time we traveled, now I know the pairs of shoes that work the best.
I like to keep things that I only wear on vacation into a bin. It makes it so much easier to find them when I start to pack for a trip knowing that I can find them. Having a bin to store traveling clothes in makes it easier to unpack from vacation too!
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Things that make Unpacking from Vacation Simpler!
- Packing Cubes
- 3 Kitchen Bags
- Shout Wipes
- Laundry Booster
- Travel Sizes Set Aside
- Extra Beauty Items for Trips
- Good Vacation Travel Packing
Quick Steps to Unpack your Suitcase!
1. Pack well and pack less! learn how in my post on Vacation Travel Packing.
2. Take a few minutes the day before heading home from your trip to organize and sort clothing. (See above for tips)
3. Make a note what you did not use once you have sorted your things. Beauty items and clothing that you may not need next time.
4. Once you are home, set aside a bin to store clean vacation only clothes after you are done with the laundry.
5. Go ahead with the laundry and wiping down of makeup, shoes and accessories! Sort and put away beauty items.
6. All done and ready for your next trip!
Check my post on Vacation Travel Packing and An Easy Way to Pack for a Sunny Vacation for more travel help! Enjoy that trip that you have been waiting so long for!
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