Vacation can be a relaxing time of reading, resting, and spending quality time with family.  However, coming back from vacation can be extremely stressful.  Besides the long flight or road trip, jet lag, and delays, the reality of returning to every day life can be anti-climatic.

With some planning forethought, you can enjoy your vacation and not come back to a huge headache!

1. Leave your house very clean and tidy. 

You will probably stay a clean hotel room or AirBNB when you travel.  To come back to a messy and dirty home would be disheartening.  By cleaning your home before you leave, you can look forward to returning and not having to begin cleaning right away.

There will be plenty of other things to catch up on when you return.  Make sure all your dishes are washed and put away; laundry is caught up; bathrooms are sparkling clean; floors are vacuumed, swept, mopped; take out all the trash.  Leave it as clean as you would expect your hotel room to be!

2.  Clean out your refrigerator.  

While your refrigerator does not need to be completely empty, make sure that nothing in there will be spoiled by the time you return. Take a day or two to eat all leftovers, and make sure all perishable food is either eaten or taken with you on your travels.  Once most of the food is out of your refrigerator, clean it out so that it will be ready for fresh produce upon your return.

3.  Schedule a delivery of fresh produce.

You will want to schedule the delivery the day before or the day of your return so that you can relax after your travels and not need to make a trip to the grocery store right away.  My husband and I have used Misfits Market for our fresh produce, many pantry items, and now recently grass-fed ground beef (they also have chicken and salmon).  We have been very pleased with the quality as well as the prices.  Use our link to save $15 off your first order.

4.  Pay all your bills before you leave on vacation. 

You don’t want to return from vacation with the stress of late fees on your bills.  Just pay them all before you leave (or put them on auto pay) to avoid headaches when you return.

5.  Prepare a few freezer meals to enjoy the first few days back from vacation. 

Depending on where you go on vacation, you may be jet-lagged when you return.  If you drive, you may be exhausted from a long trip.  By having a few freezer meals ready, you will not have to cook much and can, in a way, enjoy an extended vacation while eating delicious and healthy homemade foods.

What tasks do you complete before you take a vacation?  Please share in the comments below.

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