No one will argue with the premise that vacations are fun. But the weeks that lead up to getting away, and then the catch-up one must do upon return, can be a nightmare, especially for those of us who are married to our jobs. I turned to organizational expert Andrew Mellen, author of the best-seller “Unstuff Your Life! Kick the Clutter Habit and Completely Organize Your Life for Good" for advice on how to make the pre- and post-vacation periods less stressful.
Frommer: What’s the best way to prepare for an upcoming trip?
Mellen: Well, you need to think of the departure for your trip as a project. Figure out what you need to have complete for you to be able to walk out the door cleanly. Create what we call “smart goals”—tasks that are specific and measurable. Then get out a calendar and work backwards from your departure date. Schedule the tasks, putting it all down in writing. Usually doing so not only helps get what needs to be done done, it eliminates anxiety.
Frommer: But what if you can’t get it all done, even with advance planning?
Mellen: Delegate! You shouldn’t have to be superman to leave the office. There may be someone else there who can do what you need to do (though you may not want to admit it!)
Frommer: What’s the one task every traveler needs to do before hitting the road?
Mellen: You need to let your family, friends and business colleagues know where you’re going to be. If you’re comfortable with technology, I would suggest using TripIt.com. It will aggregate all of your travel plans and then disseminate them to the people who want to know where you are.
Frommer: Is there a charge for using that site?
Mellen: No, it’s absolutely free and, by the way, I have no relation to the site. I just find it to be a useful tool if you are comfortable sharing your information online. It has a nice feature for business travelers in that it flows into LinkedIn, so your colleagues can know where you are. And you have the ability to limit how much or how little information they have of your itinerary, so it’s not an all or nothing kind of thing.
If you’re a little more old-school and you like paper, or if the people you’re leaving behind prefer paper, I have a template that comprehensively gathers up your flight information, your hotel information, rental cars, any sort of medications you’re taking, any sort of vaccines you might need. I’ll send it to your readers for free if they simply message me through my website AndrewMellen.com.
Frommer: Let’s talk about once you get back. You’re tanned, you’re relaxed and then you get to the office and there are literally 2000 emails in your inbox. How can you make the process of re-entry less painful?
Mellen: Don’t approach returning as if you have to solve everything the moment you get home. You’ll lose that lovely vacation glow! Just like you prepared to leave, prepare yourself for re-entry and give yourself sufficient time to catch back up.
I wouldn’t want to return from vacation two days before a big deadline. Sometimes you can’t avoid those types of situations, but as much as you can, plan your strategic reentry so you can prioritize the most important things you need to do as soon as you get back and then slowly fold in the other things, so that you aren’t overwhelmed.
Use auto responders for your emails, but if you’re going to be gone for a full billing cycle or more you need to be sure that you let all of your credit card companies, and vendors you have a relationship with, know. Be in touch with them electronically, or on the phone, so that you can at least make your minimum payments automatically. That way you won’t be surprised with any late fees or over-limit fees when you’re traveling.
Frommer: Any final words of wisdom?
Mellen: People are often so overwhelmed with the prospect of preparing to go away that they choose not to travel at all. Sure it’s easier to stay at home but you miss out, so get organized and then have some adventures!
