Travel Tips: How to Unpack Like a Pro Unpacking quickly and easily after your next trip
Just got back from a road trip with one of my besties. It was one of my favorite trips because we had no plans. đșïž
I picked her up from the airport and we just drove. No agenda. No hotels bookedâŠJust she and I, going with the flow and doing whatever felt interesting and fun. It was a blast!
And now that Iâm home, Iâm sitting here staring at my suitcase, faced with the worst part of traveling. Unpacking. đ§ł
Unpacking is the least fun part of traveling. It marks the end of a fun trip and the start of going back to the grind.
To make things worse, we donât often make time between traveling and getting back to life again, so tasks like unpacking get pushed to the back burner.
Itâs common for people to leave their unpacked suitcases for days (or even weeks) because itâs just not a priority.
I have this weird quirk where I have to unpack my bags immediately after walking in the door. Itâs something Iâve always doneâŠmostly because I hate unpacking so much.
I decided to make a quick video to tell you my best-kept secrets for unpacking quickly and painlessly.
No time to watch the video? Here are the highlights of how you can encourage yourself to unpack quickly after a trip:
Convert the Chaos with 3 Steps
If you get home and your suitcase is in absolute chaos, try using these three steps. Step 1: Clear a space to act as an unpacking âworkâ space. A bed works great for this. Dump all items from your suitcase onto your âworkingâ space. Just getting items out of your suitcase will make unpacking go so much faster. Step 2: Categorize. Move all items into categories, either by item or room. Donât take action on anythingâŠsimply move them into categories. Step 3: Take Action, Starting with the Easiest First. Go through each category and put the items away, starting with the easiest category first. Continue looking for the next easiest category and put those away until everything has been put away.
Categories are King
Preparation is the best strategy for unpacking. Store all like items together in your suitcase by categories. For example, shirts, shoes, technology, medicine, etc. This will help you find items quickly when youâre traveling and make unpacking even faster when you get home. You can use packing cubes or even just Ziploc bags. Make sure to create a dirty laundry bag to collect all dirty clothes on your trip so you can quickly put them in the laundry when you get home. This will also help you not âcontaminateâ your clean clothes, and it will remove the guesswork on what is clean versus what is dirty.
Make Space
Ever notice that when youâre packing to come back home after a vacation it feels like you canât get everything to fit back into your suitcase? Dirty clothes tend to take up more space than our neatly folded clean clothes, plus we often bring back souvenirs from our trips. Try to only fill your bags to 80% when you pack, so you have space to buy souvenirs and allow for a bit more chaos when it comes to the state of your clothing on the way home.
Set a Timer
It feels like unpacking after a trip will take forever, but it usually takes far less time than you think. Set a timer for 30 minutes and dive in. You will probably be almost completely done by the time your timer goes off. If 30 minutes feels like too long, put on your favorite song and unpack while it plays. Hopefully after your song finishes, youâll feel in the flow and want to keep unpacking. The goal is to break the barrier of overwhelm that stops you from getting started.
Reward Yourself
Sometimes, we all need a âlittle treatâ to get us motivated. Brainstorm a treat to reward yourself when you finish unpackingâŠa pedicure, gelato, sunset walk, or booking your next flight to a future destination. Once you finish unpacking, enjoy your hard-earned reward!
Hit reply and let me know how long it takes you to unpack your suitcase after a trip. Whoever takes the longest wins a free month in the Chaos to Calm Community! (Who says procrastinating doesnât pay? đ)
