I LOVE travelling and because I work really hard at budgeting, I’m lucky enough to be able to explore different places often. Over the years, I’ve learned a few ways I can save myself time, energy, and money both before and after a trip and I’d like to share them with you today! 

ALWAYS Pack a Book and Magazines: We all know that technology isn’t always dependable. Sometimes your phone turns off for no reason. Sometimes your eReader freezes and stops working. Sometimes the televisions on airplanes don’t work. Books and magazines will never have that issue. So, my #1 trip for travelling will always be have real, tangible reading materials for your trips. 

Have an “Every Trip” Packing List: There are a few things you need to pack every single time you travel, so why not make a list of these items that you can reference every time you travel? I’ve created one for myself that’s saved me time and the stress of wondering whether or not I forgot something every time I travel. If you’d like a copy of your own, email me at withcheryl.co@gmail.com and I would be happy to send that your way!

Bring a “Plane Scarf/Blanket”: I’m ALWAYS cold on planes, so I now bring a giant scarf of mine that acts as a blanket any time I get chilly. 3 years later, I have yet to not use this on a flight! 

Have a “Travel Outfit”: When I get on a plane or in a car for a long trip, I have one focus: COMFORT. That’s why every time I travel I wear my comfiest outfit: black leggings, a purple tank, sneakers, and a grey zip-up sweatshirt. This eliminates the need to pick out and outfit and I never worry about being too cold or too hot.

Have a “Plane Plan”: I talked about this on Instagram once before, but this has been so beneficial to me that I want to mention it again. Planes are great places to be productive because you aren’t connected to the outside world. So, unless my body is begging me for some rest, I always try to get some work done on my trips. Whether it’s writing a blog post, organizing my thoughts, journaling, or reading, you’ll likely find me trying to take advantage of the quiet. 

Sleep based on where you’re going: Whenever I fly somewhere that the time changes, I try to either sleep or stay awake based on where I’m landing. For example, when my husband and I took a redeye to Europe, we knew we would be landing and getting our day started right away because it was 6 hours ahead. Because of this, we slept as much as we could on the plane and were ready to start exploring. 

Clean Your Space Before You Go: Whether I’m leaving the office or my apartment, I always try to straighten up my space as much as possible before leaving for a trip. When you come home from a vacation, the last thing you want to do after unpacking a suitcase is clean up the mess your past-self left laying around. So, clean up your space before you leave and give your future-self the treat of coming back to a clean home and/or office space. 

Prepare a To-Do List for When You Return: Speaking of treating your future-self, I also try to have a to-do list and important reminders written down for when I get back from a trip. I am a hardcore believer in the fact that you need to take time off when you are on vacation, so help yourself make that a reality by writing down anything that your future-self needs to do or remember. 

Don’t Plan Meetings the Day Before and After Your Trip: And the last tip that focuses on your future-self is keeping the day before and after a trip as open as possible. The day before a trip can be a hectic one. You’ll likely be rushing around and wrapping up last minute projects. And, the day after your trip you’ll likely be playing catch-up from email and anything else you missed. Why not allow yourself the time to leave and come back peacefully by giving yourself a break and planning your meetings accordingly?

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Do you have any habits, hacks, or tricks that you want to share? Please do so in the comments below, email me at withcheryl.co@gmail.com, or reach out on Twitter and Instagram at @withcheryl_!