Vacations needed after you’ve just been on Vacation

Vacations

Even though we just got back from my Birthday Vacation, I’m in desperate need of another vacation. Are vacations ever really that relaxing? There’s all the excitement of going, and then you try to squeeze in as many fun things as you can while you’re there. Plus, if it’s a family vacation, like we just had, the kids add a whole other element to it. Let’s just say it’s not a relaxing vibe.

I’m tired, sick with a cold, and I just want to climb in bed for a week. Instead, life goes on, and this is one busy week. I have meetings, my birthday (which I’m excited about!) school for the kids, and the start back to work for me. I have to grocery shop, do tons of laundry, and get back into my workout routine.

Oh, and potty training is in full effect over here. Did I mention laundry? Ugh.

So, how do you recover from vacations when life just keeps going? I’m sharing my recovery tips and how to ease back into your daily routine today.

The Day You Get Back

• Build in an Extra Day  If at all possible, try to plan a “vacation” day at home. This means give yourself a day without appointments, work, or school when you get back from your trip.
• If not a whole day, at least part  It’s not always possible to have a whole day, but try to at least schedule your return trip in the morning, so you can have the afternoon/evening to unwind from the trip. When we got back from Vegas, it was around 4 pm. Luckily, we had nothing planned that night. Unfortunately, my husband did have to work the next day. Fortunately for me, he took the boys to his parents, so I could get some rest, since I was sick.
• Self-Care Find a way to unwind from your day of traveling. Plane trips stress me out, so a nice, hot shower was the way that I relaxed after the day. I then was ready to give the boys their bath, and let them watch a show to wind down. My husband had a beer, and laid in his hammock outside. Do whatever makes you feel better.

The Life Stuff

• Unpacking  This one can go either way. For me, I had my husband bring in all the suitcases and put them near the washer/dryer in the basement. I then left them for the next day, and put them out of my mind. Some people like to get it all out-of-the-way right away. So, bring in your suitcases, and do all your vacation laundry. Whether it’s right away or the day after, you’ll feel much better once it’s all done and clean.
• Communication Do you have family you need to call? Do you need to call into work? Make a list of who you need to talk to now that you’re home. Really decide if you need to do it right away (family, yes!) or if you can wait (work can wait a few more hours at least!) Also, hop back on that computer and check those emails…only after you’ve relaxed. You can then think about bills, mail, etc. We had our neighbors pick up our mail while we were gone, but we also left that until the next day. We got home on a Saturday, so we figured there would be nothing that urgent that couldn’t wait. I got the mail Sunday, and went through it all as soon as I got it.

Routine

• Mealtime We had no schedule on our vacation, so after we got home and relaxed a little bit, we ordered pizza. No one felt like cooking, so it was an easy way to get back into dinner. We all sat together, and talked about the fun of the trip too. We weren’t gone very long, so we still had plenty of food in the fridge for meals for the next couple days. If you’re gone on a long trip, try to plan a couple freezer meals, so you don’t have to grocery shop right away when you get back.
• Bedtime We also had no schedule when it came to bedtime on vacation. The day we got home, it was early to bed for everyone…including mom and dad. Everyone really needed to catch up on sleep. Plus, it feels so good sleeping in your own bed. I had changed the sheets before we left, so we could climb into a nice, clean bed too.
• Waking up If you can get a little extra sleep and sleep in the next day, go for it. Unfortunately with kids, they don’t know the meaning of sleeping in yet. On the bright side, it gets everyone back into their routine a lot quicker, and ready to tackle the week ahead.
• Planning As I mentioned, we got back on the weekend, so I had some time to think of a plan for the week. It was a busy one, filled with appointments, school orientation, and school starting. I went through the calendar, got out my planner, and made sure everything was ready for the week. I also made sure to talk to the kids about what was happening in the week ahead. Time to get out of vacation mode and into school mode! (and potty training boot camp!)

If all else fails

• Start planning your next vacation/vacations While it might not be for another year or so, it always helps to have something to look forward to. It makes going back to daily life a little more fun when you have something exciting planned.

What do you do when you get back from your vacations? Do you feel relaxed? If so, how do you do it?! And where do you go?