Routine after Travel
As many of you know, I just concluded an almost three week long vacation to Spain and Portugal. It doesn’t even feel real that this occurred. Saying that I had an amazing time feels like such an injustice and an understatement. It was magical. Although I could stay in Europe forever, I am glad to be home. I wanted to write about how I get back into the swing of things after travel. Now, I don’t have a school routine to get into, but I do love a good routine no matter if it is school season or summer. My summer routine isn’t strict, but there are things I like to do and a little order I like to have in place so the day doesn’t wither away.
I had about two weeks before leaving for Bali and tons to do. I need to write my college essay, do summer homework for Spanish, work, and write my Extended essay outline (this is a 4,000 word essay that is required for the IB program that I am enrolled in).
With this being said, I want to show you all how to get organized with what you have to do and Ellavate it!
To begin, I always like to start with a To-do list. So, in the airport before my flight home I made a list of things I want to get done, emails I need to send, purchases that need to be made for my next excursion, etc. Then, I like to see what time I have. Time to get out the calendar! I have 8 days before my best friend comes to visit for 3 nights, and then I have the day she leaves and 1 more day until it’s time for me to hop on a plane again. I also have around 10ish days after I get back, before school starts.
Next, I take a deep breath because at this point I have started to stress myself out, but there is no need. I tell myself that everything will get done and I will be ok.
I think that the plane is a great place to get work done. Is it always what you feel like doing? No, of course not, but sometimes we have to do things we don’t necessarily want to. There may be movies you want to watch, but when you get home you are going to have better TV and a much comfier place to watch it, so just get a little something done now. Read a book for summer reading, brainstorm ideas for a college essay, etc. My first plane ride was about 8 hours long so I took to my computer. I finished my summer reading throughout my travels and just read little by little so it wasn’t as annoying and I didn’t have to worry about it anymore. I did need to make some major leeway on my college essay. I sat next to my mom and I wrote my thoughts, having her read over them. If you are in the college essay process, let ideas flow for 30 minutes every once in a while. Next up, finishing my trip log. Honestly, I am glad I had a really long flight because I loved writing the trip log but it is very time consuming and I could see myself not wanting to finish at home. More blog work and then I relaxed. I enjoyed working on the plane. One way I stay motivated and keep working is by thinking back. When you are ready to give up, think about all that you just accomplished and be proud of yourself. It feels so good to be productive. I put my earbuds in and jammed out to some tunes while typing away.
Now, I prioritize. What are the most important things I want to do while I am home, both fun and work related. Well, I want to workout almost everyday and I want to hangout with friends. I know that my college essay is the most important, but the 2 other assignments I have require wifi so I need to do those first. Think through what you have to do within each assignment. I then planned a few fun things to do with friends so that in my mind I knew that my time gat home wouldn’t just be work.
Besides doing work on the plane, I also recommend unpacking very soon after you get home. Trust me, if you don’t unpack soon, you will be living out of your suitcase for weeks. If I land at a reasonable time, I will shower and get right to unpacking. While unpacking you can watch a show, call a friend, play some music. However, I got home late at night so, I then made it a priority to unpack first thing when I woke up. Not everyone is going to do this and that’s ok. Make a realistic goal. Tell yourself that you want to be unpacked by lunch or dinner.
Most people like to have the first day after traveling as a super chill day. Sleep-in, relax, stay in bed all day. I highly encourage this if your body is craving it. Your body may need the sleep and the calm!
If you want to get right back into routine and schedule, set an alarm. Not too early, not too late. Each person has a different opinion of what this is but I say around 9. Get up, wash your face, go to the bathroom, make your bed. If you are hungry go eat, if not unpack and clean your room then eat breakfast, or workout first. I plan out the workout I think I’m going to want to do a day prior. I know I will need to unpack, eat, clean, workout, shower so I reserve the morning for this. By this time it will either be lunch time or close. Then I will use the afternoon to work. I will spend a couple hours working and then go outside or hangout with friends. I may revisit my work later or not. Dinner is a great time to hangout with friends/family because I typically do most of my work in the day time.
You may have other priorities so you could do work first thing or at night so that you can go to the beach or do something else, and change it up! Don’t feel like you have to stick to the same schedule everyday. Some days you may want to switch things up.
Lists are my favorite thing if you didn’t know it by now. I love to put my thoughts on paper and visualize what I need to do.
I tend to be the type of person who overestimates/ over exaggerates the amount of work I have. My mind makes me think that I have endless amounts of work to get done, and not enough time. Per usual, I didn’t have as much work as I thought. It is important to take a step back, maybe have someone else help you with your schedule. I took my mom through what I needed to do and she helped me realize that I didn’t need to do everything on my list and that there was plenty of time to get things done.
To continue, it can be boring and sad to come back home where the meals don’t compare and you stay inside a lot of the time, but I like to bring some of the activities I did in Europe home. For instance, we walked everywhere. So many steps a day and I loved it. I remembered how fun walking is, so although it is sauna in Florida, I know I can find a little time to go and walk outside. I also had so much fun running through the vineyard or the cities. It has been so long since I last ran, but I think I’m back in another running phase. I am excited to bring back some of the recipes I had whether that be eating them the way they were originally made, or changing them up a bit.
I like to get excited about being home. I remember the things I have missed like my dog and yoga and workouts and simple food. Being home can be super nice, you just have to keep it fun and exciting so you don’t get sick of it.
Make the best of your situation. Whether you have homework to do or working parents or friends out of town. Use this time wisely. Enjoy yourself.