Since the holidays usually involve a lot of traveling, it's always best to have a plan of attack for both before and after your trip. A friend of mine is known as the Well Organized Woman, or WOW for short. She was recently featured in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution's online Holiday Gift Guide, and I thought her article was excellent for those of you who will be traveling during this busy season. In the article, she offers some tips regarding travel preparation and packing. Some examples include:
- A week before you leave, create a simple prep schedule. You want to be able to pack and prepare your house in the easiest and least stressful way possible. Complete a major and minor task each day of the week, such as purchasing a hostess gift and packing an item or two in your suitcase.
- Develop a travel exchange with a neighbor. When either of you go out of town, the other can gather mail or newspapers, take your trash to the end of the driveway, etc. Leave a copy of your itinerary and contact numbers with that same neighbor in case an emergency involving your house or pets should occur.
- Tuck a garbage bag into your suitcase and use it to keep dirty clothes (folded!) separate from clean and ready-to-be-dropped-into-the-washer clothes when you arrive home.
- To save yourself a major headache, send gifts ahead via the post office or other shipping service, already wrapped. When you arrive, you can unpack the box and place gifts under the tree.
And, if you're in need of assistance when it comes to organization, personal assistance, etc., check out the Well Organized Woman at TheWellOrganizedWoman.com.
Good luck and happy holidays to you all!
