You guys! We are going to Barbados {tomorrow ~ eeek!!}! I’m so excited. I never traveled a lot as a kid, or really as an adult until I started life with my manfriend who is a big traveler. It’s definitely growing on me, lol.

But before we go anywhere, I take time to make sure everything at home is clean and tidy… I’m a big homebody, and for me there’s nothing worse than coming back home from a great trip to a messy house! And I want to be able to have the vacation, and not be stressing about everything I need to do at home while I’m gone. I’m a firm believer that taking the time to get your house looking and feeling good before you take a trip helps you really be able to enjoy your adventure, and sets a great tone for when you come back. You don’t have to worry about a lingering to-do list, or a messy home that still needs to be picked up… you enjoy your time away and know that when you come home, a house you’re going to feel good being in awaits you.

There are really just three things that I make sure I have done that guarantee I’ll feel great when I return…

Clean out the fridge.

For the week before we go anywhere, we don’t buy a lot of new groceries. We take stock of what’s in the fridge and make meals around those things, so that when we leave the fridge is empty and food isn’t being wasted or going bad while we are gone. It’s a real bummer to come back from a great vacation to a fridge full of gross food you have to throw out.

Do all the laundry.

You guys, I’m on a laundry mission the week before vacation. Everything gets washed, I don’t like to have any dirty laundry lying around while I’m gone. And then I make sure everything gets folded and put away, unlike regular life where I seriously struggle with getting clean laundry put away in a timely manner, meh. The biggest item on my laundry list is washing bed linens and putting fresh sheets on the bed so that they are all done and waiting for us when we get back. It makes it feel like you come home from a hotel to another fresh hotel bed! I love fresh sheets.

Clean and tidy the house. 

We don’t have a housekeeper, so if I don’t clean something up, it doesn’t get cleaned! When things are crazy busy my house definitely gets a little messy. So even if it means I have a crazy busy week before going out of town, I get my house cleaned up and everything put away so that when I come home, my space feels great and welcoming to be in. After being gone and enjoying a trip, nothing is more deflating than coming home to a messy house staring at you in the face. I want to be able to come home and ride my vacation high as long as possible!

With that said, we leave tomorrow and there is still plenty left to get done at home tonight, lol. Do you have a pre-travel ritual or to-do list that you always get done? Let me know because I’m always looking for tips and tricks to make traveling {and coming home} more fun!