The 5 Things I Always Do The Day I Return From Vacation.
CONFIRM ground transportation.
So you’ve checked in online for your flight, packed your suitcase, and arranged an Uber to the airport. But what about getting home from the airport after you land?
If you drove yourself to the airport, confirm the precise location of your car so you know exactly where to go when you land. (We always take a photo of our car and the row where we’ve parked.)
If you have arranged a car service to pick you up, reach out to confirm the pick-up time and location. Better yet, secure the name and cell phone number of your driver so you can text him/her when you land.
Planning on grabbing an Uber or a taxi? Double-check the location of the taxi stand or ride-share pick up at your airport. If you do plan to Uber and have not checked any bags, consider requesting your ride as soon as you exit the plane to avoid any delays.
Hopping on a metro or bus? Confirm the location where you will board, your route and the fare. And make sure you are capable of doing it all with the luggage you will be carrying.
set The thermostat.
Have a smart home that is controlled via Wi-Fi? Make sure to adjust your thermostat about 12 hours before you travel so that your home is comfortable upon your return.
If your lights are also controlled remotely, consider adjusting them to welcome you home if you will be arriving after dark.
pre-order groceries.
There’s nothing worse than coming home to an empty fridge and having to dash out to the grocery store after a long flight.
Do yourself a favor and pre-order groceries to be delivered 1-2 hours after you are scheduled to arrive home. If you’re concerned about whether you might be delayed, select a delivery window with a bit of a cushion and choose the option to have the groceries left outside your door.
We typically stock up on non-perishable basics from local grocery chains like Giant, Safeway, or Wegman’s via Instacart. We have an Instacart+ membership (which costs roughly the same as our annual Amazon Prime membership), which means we receive free delivery with every order over $35.
For fresh produce, meat, and fish, we usually order from our local Whole Food’s via Amazon. We will either pay the $9.99 delivery fee for convenience or select the option to pick up our pre-packed groceries if we think we’ll have the bandwidth to do so on travel day.
pre-order dinner.
Cooking and cleaning the day we return home from vacation? No thanks!
If we are arriving home in the late afternoon, we’ll pre-order our dinner for either pick-up or delivery when we are 45 minutes away from home.
Our favorite post-vacation dinners after a long flight or drive are Flower Child, Sweetgreen, or True Food Kitchen. Although our two toddlers haven’t developed an appreciation for salad (yet), Flower Child and True Food offer great family-style meals that appeal to everyone. And if we really have a hankering for salad, we’ll order children’s meals from Cava (conveniently located across the street from our local Sweetgreen).
go for a walk.
Vacation is awesome, but travel day (often) is not. You’re probably a little dehydrated after flying, your legs and back feel cramped from sitting, and your children are irritable.
The best remedy we’ve found? Unless you’re arriving home after dark, get everyone outside for a walk as soon as possible. A little sunshine will brighten everyone’s moods, fresh air will increase oxygen levels and moving your legs improves circulation.
