I just returned from a few weeks on the road. Traveling is one of those things with which I have a love-hate relationship.
I love getting out and away, meeting and greeting and the adventure of it all…
HOWEVER…
It’s hard having to think and prepare for everything and everyone in the family several weeks in advance. I tend to condense all my planning and preparing into the weeks prior, so I think of at least a 2-3 week rolling window as my schedule shapes up.
Between managing the travel details (parking, hotels, air, food, meetings…) the inconvenience and stresses of the reason for travel itself… and then of course the endless catch up tasks of getting back and unpacking – all the moving pieces can certainly frustrate and unravel even the most seasoned traveler!
[Tweet “Reset after travel with these 4 tips #mompreneur”]
As trips get closer, tension rises and sometimes (believe it or not…) even I get short-tempered, impatient and cranky.
Because I have a ton of experience, I attempt to quell (and sometimes even avoid) the inevitable flash cycles that can show up both pre and post travel.
Here are four ways to help moms in business reset after traveling!
Return
When you get back from a trip, be sure you have plans for the date of return… but make them self-care focused! The return from a time away should be all about feeling good, reconnecting with your family and taking care of yourself. You’re likely exhausted, sore (from lugging all your stuff through airports) and may even have really tired feet. (If you escape the swelled ankles from air travel… consider yourself lucky!) Take the time to return, reconnect and regenerate with those most important to you. You can unpack tomorrow!
Reset
Resetting involves unpacking, doing the laundry, and catching up. Sometimes you may need to run some errands and restock your fridge too, but take the time to completely unpack and reset things back where they belong before you launch into the next thing!
Replace
Here are a few things that have made travel easier over the years:
- First, I use a ‘capsule wardrobe’ idea for my travel clothing. I typically choose one basic color (black, white, brown or navy) – and build a few accents around those basic pieces so I can pack my clothes easily, be sure I have the right shoes for each outfit and don’t have to make too many wardrobe decisions before traveling. By now I have my travel clothing down. Some of the things to consider: easy to wash and wear, wrinkle resistant, breathable, movable and layerable items make everything pretty easy.
- Simple and flexible accessories make outfits more dynamic. I love to pack several tanks and a couple scarfs/wraps in bright colors that make it easy to mix and match to switch up the outfits.
- When I get home, everything is loaded into the washer for a delicate cycle and hung to dry…
- Then when clean, my capsule wardrobe lives in a ‘zone’ in my closet which makes it easy to repack for the next trip… of course, I can wear whatever I want while home, but keeping these pieces together makes it a snap to pack for the next trip.
- And, I also replace all my toiletries and refill everything before putting my ditty bag on the shelf.
Review
There was a time when I’d gather a ton of cards at an event and then just leave them rubber-banded together in little piles tucked away in my desk… Only to be found MUCH later, with no memory of those I met, and worse – no follow up.
Now, after I return, it’s so easy to dive deeply into new work, but I’ve found it essential to take the time to review what I’ve done. I like to go through the agenda from the trip away, make any notes in my planner, and scan any business cards I’ve gathered throughout the trip. This way the people’s names still have faces, and my notes on their cards help me create memory cues and follow up tasks.
Please share!
What do you do to make your return from travel easier? Please share your gems and best practices in the comments section below! Thanks for stopping by!
Image courtesy of my husband and sons – marking the last business trip I took as a corporate mom…
