10 Ways to be Vacation Ready When You’re Ready to Travel Again

10 Ways to be Vacation Ready When You’re Ready to Travel Again

If you’re ready to think Happy Thoughts, start thinking about your next vacation. Better yet you can actually get ready for it ahead of time! How? Well, you know how you suddenly start going crazy with all that Vacation Prep you don’t have time for when the your vacation is actually looming? You can offload some of those things now. To get ready and get ahead. Here are 10 Ways to be Vacation Ready when you’re Ready to Travel again.

How to Get Ready to Travel Again 

If you’re thinking of traveling to Walt Disney World during the COVID-19 pandemic and just can’t let go of those future reservations, we understand. We do. And while Disney is doing everything they can to make the parks safe, Florida seems a little risky for everyone. That said getting ready to travel again in the current situation can be stressful. So, we’ve rounded up some things you can do NOW to help you get pointed in the right direction. And maybe distract you with just some action to help feel ready, even if you choose not to go anywhere anything soon. 

ready to travel again Disney Vacation planning start traveling again to disney world opens

Get Your Mindset and Health in Check

Traveling in general can sometimes be more stressful than fun. But traveling after a worldwide pandemic adds a whole new layer of worry to the equation. When will you be Ready to Travel again? It’s important to remember where your power lies. You cannot control everyone and everything. Here’s what you can control- yourself and your family. If travel is in your future and you’re finding yourself crippled by worry, here’s what you can do. Wear the mask. Wash your hands regularly. Bring Hand Sanitizer. Follow the CDC Guidelines to Help Protect Yourself and Others. Take Emergencee everyday for at least a week before your vacation. Get a health checkup and make sure you don’t have any underlying issues that put you at higher risk. Get plenty of sleep. Add a 5 minute a day meditation to your daily routine to keep your stress levels managed. Keep a 6+ feet physical distance from others. Wipe surfaces you use down with clorox wipes before you use them; airplane seats both in the terminal and on the plane. Restaurant tables and seats. Anywhere you may be settling. If you’re vacationing in Florida, wearing a face mask, sunglasses and hat may feel cumbersome. But, if it makes you feel safe, you have a right to be that person. 

Read: Tips for Staying Healthy When You Travel

ready to travel again Disney Vacation planning start traveling again to disney world opens

Have the Planning Done

It’s true you may not know WHEN you will travel next, but maybe you can start thinking about where you want go. And maybe you can start thinking about what you’ll do when you get there. Planning a vacation is a little like taking a virtual one. If you’re planning a Walt Disney World vacation you can grab our printable planner here, so you can have some fun while you wait. Think through your Park Pass Reservations, restaurant choices, a list of snacks to try, comparing resorts, and figuring out your must-do list can all be pretty therapeutic. Making these decisions ahead of time, will help you just go through the motions when you have travel dates at the ready so you can feel stress free. If you’re not traveling to Disney, start a Pinterest board of your chosen destination and save everything you can find ahead of time. From the best restaurants to shops to hotels, giving your vacation some mind space gets you excited for it and makes it more of a reality. 

Read: How to Plan a Walt Disney World Vacation: Step by Step
Shop: Disney Vacation Planning Printables

disney planner fastpass planner disney vacation planner printable

Double Check Your Luggage and Bags

Maybe you know your luggage is in good working order, or maybe that zipper broke on your last trip and you need a new one. Get them out of the closet, dust them off, and make sure they are ready. Check luggage tags and make sure that they have a current address or email, and be sure to locate your luggage keys and keep everything together. Do you usually use packing cubes, mini bottles, or bring along a carry-on backpack? Grab up all the things and put them in your empty luggage for easy access. Now is also a good time to upgrade to an RFID wallet or RFID card holders if you haven’t already. These make sure that your credit cards and identification are safe and can’t be invisibly scanned by a hacker nearby. 

taking a vacation to disney world

Double Check your Documentation.

Make sure your drivers license and passport are still current. And double check your TSA Pre-Check or Global Entry Information. Make sure it’s all attached to your airline accounts so you can get priority boarding when the time comes. Now is also a good time to check any airlines for banked funds that may soon expire, or credit cards with travel perks that you might have forgotten about. 

ready to travel again Disney Vacation planning start traveling again to disney world opens

Buy those Travel Things You Usually Need!

Sea-Bands, No Jet Lag Pills, Emergencee. If your pre-vacation shopping makes a dent in your vacation budget, stock up on the things you know you’ll need ahead of time! You can add a fresh tube of toothpaste to this list and shampoo and conditioner if your resort doesn’t have these built in.  Grab sunscreen when it’s on sale, and anything else that is on your standing “vacation needs” list. And think about the new things you will feel better having, like reusable silverware.

Read: Stuff to Buy Before Your Vacation

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Set Aside Time for a Vacation Wear Edit

Research shows that people spend more money on clothes for their vacation, then on their actual vacation. Crazy, right? But, in real life, we know it’s true. When vacations finally roll around we realize those flip flops need replaced, you can’t wear your regular at-home pajamas, and how is it you own nothing appropriate for a hot or cold weather climate? The struggle is real. So before dropping 3k on that resort wear you suddenly need, do a closet edit. This isn’t the “did i wear it in the last year” conversation, or even the “does this blouse bring me joy” conversation. A Vacation Wear Edit is actually going through your closet with your vacation destination in mind and pulling out everything you may be able to wear on the trip. From what clothes you plan to wear on the chilly plane, to the beach, to the slopes, to the night out at dinner, and on the stroll through that small shopping town. And then ask yourself, do you really want to wear any of those things? In short, its about planning your outfits for each day way ahead of time. Offloading this giant task will have you ready and less likely spending money on things you don’t need. Check your underthings, pajamas, and shoes. These are the items you may most need to upgrade before a vacation. 

Read: Packing Tips For Your Vacation

Get your Tech under Control

Cords, battery packs for your phone, camera, FuelRod, whatever your tech needs to function. Grab your extra sets of these things, charge them up and add them to that close-to-empty luggage. These are items most often forgotten. So you will be ahead of the game if you have them where they need to be when you’re rushing around last minute. It’s also a good time to upgrade anything you may need. Maybe it’s just a better battery pack, a larger SD Card, a charging cord that isn’t showing wires. 

Read: Why Walt Disney World Is the Perfect Place for a Digital Detox

ready to travel again Disney Vacation planning start traveling again to disney world opens

Do a Makeup Bag Audit

Much like the Vacation Wear Edit, cleaning out your makeup bag is a must-do. A must do, because there is no reason to tote around your makeup bag full of stuff you won’t use that makes your suitcase weigh more. While this should be one of those things you do yearly, a pre-vacation clean up is most therapeutic. No matter where you’re going, you will naturally gravitate towards bringing your favorite things. Lotions, face wash, mascaras, blush. The stuff that’s left can probably be safely gotten rid of. Something else to consider is that makeup in tubes does better during travel.  A bumpy car ride, tight bags, and security bag checks don’t do too well with eye shadow palettes or cake powder. Instead aim to bring cheek gel, or cream eye shadow, a lippy in tube rather than a stick. 

Read: Our Favorite Travel Beauty Bag Products

Make the Arrangements You’ll Need in Place Ahead of Time

Even if you don’t know your travel dates, making the plans for house or animal sitting ahead of time helps nail down caregivers and often gets you a better rate. If you do know your travel dates you can set up your out-of-office notice in your email and schedule your hold mail dates. These are often the little things that end up taking too much time when you don’t have it. 

Add Some Fun Stuff

Making travel planning and prep FUN should be the first thing on this list. So be sure to take some time to plan your travel games, make a list of travel snacks, and think up a a bunch of fun frivolous things to add to this next trip! Daydream a bit. Make a bucket list. If traveling by road, buy a new car air freshener. If traveling by plane grab a new travel pillow or maybe buy a new book for the trip. 

Read: The Ultimate Disney Bucket List Challenge

Getting Ready to Travel Again

Make the process of being a vacationer or traveler fun. Start small. Focus on getting the logistics of your travel hopes and dreams back in place. Through the process your mindset will follow and you’ll soon be on your way and be ready to travel again.

 

How to Travel Again safely, staying healthy and still having fun. 10 things You Can Do to make sure your'e ready to travel again by getting ready now! #travelsafely #travelagain #vacationtips #disneytips #polkadotpixies

 

Co-Founder and Director at Polka Dot Pixie Co LLC | Website | + posts

Rochelle Mariah is a writer, designer and photographer with an MLIS in Information Science and a B.S. in Arch and Design. Determined to make Planning a DIY Disney Vacation easier she makes lots of lists and drinks lots of coffee. When not designing apparel at Polka Dot Pixie Shop, she's watching old movies and planning the holidays. She has been traveling to Disney destinations since 2010.


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