Tips for Stress-Free Travel: Planning, Packing, and More

Getting your ducks in a row before a vacation makes the experience more enjoyable and stress-free. Here are some tips for peace of mind while traveling. 🦆 🦆 🦆

1. Pre-Trip Planning

Create a checklist: Make a detailed checklist of everything you need to do before leaving, including packing, securing your home, and organizing important documents, turning down the thermostat, etc. A paper list, or something in your phone note app works perfectly.

Share your travel plans with a friend or family member: It's a safety net and ensures someone knows your whereabouts.

Empty the fridge: Dispose of perishable items in your fridge to avoid returning to spoiled food.

Notify your bank: Inform your bank about your travel dates and destination to prevent any issues with using your credit or debit cards abroad. This helps avoid unexpected card freezes due to suspicious transactions.

Cash money: Speaking of banks, consider withdrawing a few hundred dollars in cash. Especially if you’re going abroad, having cash comes in handy so often and is sometimes easier to exchange for foreign currencies.

Poplin pre-trip laundry: When prepping for a trip, the last thing you want to worry about it laundry. Before embarking on your vacation, consider outsourcing your laundry to Poplin. This ensures you start your trip with a fresh wardrobe and minimizes the laundry load upon your return. Download the app to place an order.

2. Packing Smarter

Research the weather at your destination during your travel dates. Pack accordingly, taking into account any unexpected weather patterns.

Capsule wardrobe: Pack versatile, mix-and-match items to create multiple outfits. This reduces the number of clothes you need to bring and makes it easier to coordinate looks.

Roll, don't fold: Rolling clothes instead of folding can save space and minimize wrinkles. Place heavier items at the bottom and more delicate fabrics on top.

Stuff shoes and hats: Use all your space by stuffing smaller items inside shoes, hats, or anything you want to help hold it’s shape.

Pack the necessary adapters and chargers for your electronic devices: Check the voltage requirements at your destination and get the appropriate power converters if needed.

3. Chores

Arrange for a pet sitter: If you have pets, hiring a pet sitter can alleviate concerns about their well-being while you're away. Services like Rover connect you with fellow pet-owners in your area.

Cleaning house: Feel like a million bucks when you come back to a clean home. Consider scheduling a home cleaning service before your trip, so you return to a tidy and welcoming home.

Laundry during your trip: If you're traveling in the USA, Poplin can be your laundry solution during the trip. Simply place an order, ensuring you have fresh clothes throughout your vacation. Much better than hunting down a random laundromat mid-relaxation.

4. Digital Organization

Digital copies of important documents: Scan or take photos of important documents like passports, tickets, and reservation confirmations. Store them securely virtually for easy access. Having a backup can be invaluable in case of lost or stolen items.

Offline Access: If you’re going somewhere remote, or international it’s helpful to have resources downloaded to your phone. Apps you need such as your airline’s app and Google translate come in handy. You can even download languages into Google translate ahead of time. Muy bien! If you have long flights, kids, or just want to access your media, download some movies/tv-shows and music or podcasts for uninterrupted enjoyment on the road.

Set Out-of-Office messages: If applicable, set up out-of-office messages for your work email, voicemail, and any online messaging tools your company uses. Delegate tasks to colleagues if necessary.

Make sure you have all needed chargers: This was already mentioned, but was worth bringing up again so you don’t have to wander around Rome searching for the right adapter and charging cord when you’d rather be at the Colosseum.

5. Security Measures

Lock all doors and windows, set alarms if available. It seems obvious, but better safe than sorry. Consider using smart home devices for added security.

Inform a trusted neighbor: Let a neighbor know about your travel plans. They can keep an eye on your property and collect mail to give the appearance that someone is home.

House-sitter: Consider asking a friend (or a friend’s kid) to stay at your house while you’re away. College students or singles who work remotely can be a good option. They’ll even water your plants! 🪴

6. Keep Cool

Prepare to be surprised: The best laid plans are bound to fall apart at some point or another. Go into any trip expecting surprises and you’ll be able to keep a cool head most of the time. 9/10 those situations will make the most memorable experiences anyway.

Leave space to be flexible: Even if you’re the sort of planner who likes trips fully booked, it can be a welcome release to take things slower for a day or two. It leaves room to explore hidden gems you come across, or even just fit in a nap to help you last the rest of the trip.

7. Post-Trip Ease

Build in a day or two of recovery on the return end of the trip. Give yourself that grace period to transition and hit the ground running once you’re officially “back.” This can be a good time to journal favorite memories, share photos with your vacation group, and catch up on jet lag.

After the adventure concludes: unpack, relax, and let Poplin handle the cleaning of your vacation wardrobe.

Bon Voyage and Safe Travels!

Download the Poplin app to handle laundry needs at any stage of your trip.