The Ultimate Post-Vacation Guide: 6 Things To Do Once You Return Home
Vacation is over and the fun has ended. It is always sad when this happens. So where do you start? Here is the ultimate post-vacation guide to get you back to the real world. 6 key things to do once you return home for an easy transition.
We all know how much fun it is to go on vacation, but all good things must come to an end. It is always good idea to reflect on your trip. Here are 6 things you should do once you are home.
I thought I would share a few tips on how we deal when vacation is over. Some are easy, some are thought-provoking, and some call for some brutal honesty. But all together, they help you to recap your current vacation, and help plan your next one.
Ultimate Post-Vacation Guide Step #1: Get All The Unpacking Done First
The worst, and often most-hated, task after vacation is spending time unloading and unpacking. Before you do anything else, take care of the housekeeping tasks of post-vacation fun. You will have a clear head and no be distracted on things you need to focus on.
Need some help getting motivated to unpack? Check out these good ideas so that you can move onto the next step of the ultimate post-vacation guide.
- 10 Tips For Unpacking After A Vacation
- Unpack After Your Vacation: 10 Easy Tips For Unpacking
- How To Unpack After A Trip
Ultimate Post-Vacation Guide Step #2: Journal About Your Trip
One of the things you need to do when you vacation is over is journal about it. It doesn’t have to be long drawn-out sentences (if long descriptions are your thing, then go for it), it can just be bullet points if you like. Jot down your thoughts about:
- Travel to and from your vacation
- Your hotel accommodations
- Food & drink
- Things you did
- Souvenirs and momentos
You don’t need to take a lot of time doing it. It is a great way to find out what everyone thought of your vacation.
Need some ideas on how to journal about your travels? Check out these great travel journals to get you on your way.
Ultimate Post-Vacation Guide Step #3: Discuss What You Loved About Your Vacation
Probably the easiest thing you will do when working on the ultimate post-vacation guide steps.
What things did you love? What were your favorite foods? Most fun thing to do? Just talk it out, look at pictures, even pull out those souvenirs to remember all the things you loved about your vacation. Jot those things down. You will need them in a step further down.
Step #4 On The Guide Is To Talk About What Didn’t Work
As much as you don’t like to think that your vacation wasn’t perfect, let’s face it, there probably was bumps and snags. Let’s face it, nothing is perfect. Here are a few questions to consider:
- Was there too much or not enough activity?
- Was your method of travel the best way to get there?
- Do you need to think about better places to eat?
- Was an attraction worth the price you paid?
- Did you itinerary make everyone tired(and cranky)?
- What could you have brought to make it better?
Be honest with yourselves. It is okay that things didn’t go as planned. Travel is often a learning experience. As much as you want to love a place because someone else does or it looks awesome on TV or in a magazine, sometimes it just isn’t the place for you. And that is ok. You can use this time to discuss everything, so when you plan your next trip, you will know what to avoid.
Ultimate Post-Vacation Guide Step #5: Leave Constructive (Not Destructive) Feedback On TripAdvisor Or Other Review Sites
I strongly advise you to at least wait a week before you do this. Why? Because you have to be able to look inward to see if there was something you did to have a bad experience. Did you not do proper research? Were you expecting too much because you didn’t understand? Or were you grumpy because you spent the entire day traveling?
Let’s face it, review sites can be wonderful when they are used in the right manner. And when reviews are realistic. As someone who frequents Sandals Resorts, I spent a lot of time researching and reading reviews.
Some of them are spot on.
Some of them make no sense.
Some of them are just out there for the attention so the reviewer can get compensation.
As I stated earlier, no place is perfect, and you have no right to expect that. Places honestly want to know what they can do to make sure your stay(and others)is the best possible. But let’s face it, you need to be realistic.
If you had a truly awful time (and we know that happens) you should contact the place first. Don’t immediately jump onto social media and start ripping a place to shreds. It could have been a misunderstanding on the hotel or attraction’s part. Or it could be that you didn’t research something enough and didn’t understand something that made your trip not-so-much fun. In fact, if something was truly that bad, you should have been dealing with it while you were on your trip.
Whatever you decide to write, remember this: if it was you and you made a genuine, honest mistake, would you want that blasted all over the internet? Be truthful & kind and know better in the future that this place wasn’t for you, but it could be someone else’s paradise.
Final Step Of The Ultimate Post-Vacation Guide: Use This Knowledge To Plan & Book Your Next Vacation
Now that you have the good, the bad, & maybe even the ugly, it is time to use that knowledge to plan your next vacation. If you enjoyed your vacation, can you plan something similar in a new location? If you did the beach this time, maybe a camping trip or amusement park may be the answer.
Just decide together where you want to go & what you want to do. Can’t decide? Toss names in a hat and pull one. Have an arm-wrestling match. Have an outside friend or family member decide for you, if you just can’t make up your mind.
Bonus Suggestion: Sometimes It’s Best To Stick With The Familiar
Sometimes, trying something new isn’t the best thing for your family. Sticking with the familiar may be just what you need to relax and rejuvenate. For us, the familiar and the most relaxing is Wildwood NJ. The best place for all members of our family, the yummiest food, and the perfect combination of fun & relaxation. In fact, we book for the following year before we even leave our hotel. Sometimes something old is your best something new.
I hope you found the ultimate post-vacation guide helpful and informative. I know I enjoyed bringing it to you. Since we just got home from our latest travel adventure today, I am preparing to go through each of these steps now. Happy adventuring!
Drinks To Enjoy When Planning Your Next Trip
When my children were youngerI had written a list of questions about our trip. I gave the questions to them and have them write down what they liked best and least. Several other questions as well. I love taking pictures of our trip and once home, pictures develop (before digital) I would make a scrapebook. In the book I would include the kid’s written answers to the trip. I absolutely love going back and looking at that book. And I can see there. hand writing!
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Take care and best wishes
Great tips! I always reserve a day for not only journaling but also for preserving the photos and memories in pages. I prefer digital scrapbooking for creativity, but a lot of people like the simple template option. I find that doing this shortly after the trip gives me the best journaling in my books because I remember the details that go with the photos. I preserve the photos digitally using my favorite app for permanent photo storage, too, but I usually do that as I travel since it’s so easy. 🙂 Pinning this post! Visiting from Gma’s Photo generic linkup 3.
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