Make That Vacation Vibe Last A Little Longer

   By drodriguez  May 27, 2009
24

For many people, summer is the prime season to plan a trip, round up some friends or family and get away for a few days.  A lot of time and effort goes into the details of your trip, but it’s also important to spend some time planning your departure and arrival back home.  If you can get a few things done before you leave, it will be a lot easier to get right back into the swing of things when you come back. 

A recent article from CNN.com offers some tips on how you can ease back into work and your daily life after a respite away.  The first thing you should do is organize before you leave.  Coming back to your office or home to find a mess can ruin the stress-free feeling you achieved on that vacation. 

You may not see the need to make your bed before you leave, but you’ll appreciate it when you flop down on your arrival back.  Greenliving.suite101.com suggests you order a DVD or book to greet you when you get back.  Or, if you prefer, you can make plans with friends to have a nice dinner.  This will also allow you to recount the glorious details of your time away.

Another trick that will allow you to hold onto the tranquility just a little longer is to come back midweek.  If you have a few days off from work right after you return home this will help you ease your way back in. 

Lastly, CNN.com suggests you plan a mini-vacation when you get back.  Planning a short weekend trip or even a day at a spa can help you feel like the vacation did not come to a screeching halt once you put the key in your front door.  A more affordable approach may be to have a spa day at home or plan a potluck with friends. 

Will you be doing any travelling this summer?

If so, do you think you could use some of the tips above to help you ease your way back into the daily grind?

 

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Dare2BDifferent by Dare2BDifferent | Port Tobacco, MD
Aug 19, 2009

Sorry for the double post. My browser was acting funny and I didn't see the first one go through.

Dare2BDifferent by Dare2BDifferent | Port Tobacco, MD
Aug 19, 2009

I agree with this one. These are great tricks to preserving tranquility after a nice vacation.

Britnev by Britnev | Clearwater, FL
Jul 27, 2009

My husband and I always spend the trip coming home planning our next trip away. This may be a long weekend, a short weekend or even a day out. When we get home we start hunting for a new place to go or for special deals. Even in these lean times, we try to have something planned every month. It gives us something to look forward to and provides that 'freshness' we all need.

BusyMommyOf3 by BusyMommyOf3 | Syracuse, NY
Jul 20, 2009

The above tipsare great. In the rush to pack and leave for vacation on time, I sent the kids to their grandparents for a few hours so I could really get the house cleaned and all the laundry done. It was nice to come home to a "ready house". two days after arriving home I got the pictures developed and set up in a special photo album. then two weeks after vacation I had the kids make a scrap book of the vacation. It was a great way to re-live the fun times.

suki1283 by suki1283 | SAINT ALBANS, WV
Jun 19, 2009

I completely agree! It seems that once the vacation is over, you have so much work to catch up on that you are in NEED off another vacation!

snickerdoodle by snickerdoodle | naperville, IL
Jun 17, 2009

I agree about the tips above. I always try to clean b4 we leave for vacation b/c it nice to get back to a clean place. besides, there's plenty of laundry to do when u get back. I will be travelling this summer and I will make sure to allow an extra day after I get home to relax.

browniebear15 by browniebear15 | Paramount, CA
Jun 13, 2009

i very much agree with this article, my family will be doing small weekend trips through out the summer, ive picked up some great tips from your comments thanks :) p.s im new to this site i just joined today any tips on how this works or things i should check out?

recklesskitten22 by recklesskitten22 | Huntington Park, CA
Jun 13, 2009

Yes, I will be traveling this summer, going to Cancun with my family. when I come back I already have scheduled to go with two friends to a free taping of The Chelsey lately show.

RHibbard by RHibbard | Indian Trail, NC
Jun 13, 2009

I love the idea of doing an at-home day spa when I get back from a trip-- that will definitely help extend the relaxation of the vacation!

KrisinTN by KrisinTN | Knoxville, TN
Jun 12, 2009

Our family just got back from vacation, and before we left I used a tip from another blogger. We put Pine Sol in the toilet. I know it sounds silly, but it was great! When we walked in the door our house smelled like it had just been cleaned. Of couse I always leave my house clean, and the laundry has to be done before I leave. I think this is something my Mother taught me so i still do it!

julz53 by julz53 | Virginia Beach, VA
Jun 08, 2009

We are going on a trip in July for two weeks and are leaving on a Saturday and coming back on a Saturday. I always like to rest at least a day before going back to work. We always have friends house sitting when we go away as we have two dogs and hate to put them in a kennel because it costs so much, plus they get really upset. Of course I straighten up before they come and the house is always straight when we get back.

aMUSEme by aMUSEme | Fort Worth, TX
Jun 04, 2009

Completely agree about taking a day or so before going back to work. Did this after my Honeymoon and really made it easier to deal with not being in the Virgin Islands anymore . . . though I still miss it!

Joodles by Joodles | Phoenix, AZ
Jun 02, 2009

Great ideas...I agree on traveling Friday-Friday to have Saturday & Sunday to regroup before having to go back to work on Monday. Since I usually travel to the East coast, taking an extra day at the end of the vacation to do laundry, even to sleep in and not feel rushed is priceless; I do this so I end up using more vacation time, but totally worth it!

akmommy18 by akmommy18 | Eagle River, AK
Jun 01, 2009

I am not doing MAJOR traveling but we do go down to my parents property in Soldotna (I live in Alaska this is about a 3 hour drive) Or we may head to some other places. We tend to do it on the weekend. And then my husband tries to take the friday off so we can leave early, we come back early sunday and do some things around our town. He goes back to work Monday (he likes it that way) but that night we always have a movie to watch. Its really nice that way. And we always clean the house befor we leave so when we come back its all ready to go :)

eblynn by eblynn | PENNSAUKEN, NJ
May 31, 2009

These are great tips I have a 2.5 week vacation comming up this month and I can not wait but I think I will start chipping away at organizing my work space and home in the weeks to come so that I can hold on to my tranquillity when I return. Great article!