"To Do" In the Weeks Before WDW Vacation

[KCheatle]

Although my nature is far from being a procrastinator, for vacation's past I have found myself tying up so many loose ends in the day(s) leading up to my trip that I exhaust myself just going through the steps to GO on vacation.

This time, I am trying something different in hopes that it will help alleviate that stress and make my unavoidable travel stress much more manageable. So, here's my tips in case anyone else wants to try the same thing.

A couple weeks before your vacation:

Make a "To Do" list of all the things you need/want to get done before your trip. As a reference, my list included:

1. Work - set up automatic email replies, let clients know I will be out of office, wrap up any work that comes due while I'm gone or get extensions on it until after I return.
   
2. Kids - let school know they will be absent, let coaches know they will be absent, download movies on iPad for plane, pick up new swim toys on clearance for pool time
   
3. Home - tell Post Office to hold mail, let local police know we'll be out of town, notify bank and credit card companies of travel, set up automatic payments for bills coming due while gone, book dogs at kennel, drop dogs off at kennel, reschedule house cleaners, ask neighbor to water flowers, hire neighbor to mow lawn, ask neighbor to take trash to curb, adjust thermostat for when we're gone, turn down water heater.
   
4. Me - do laundry necessary for packing, pack for me and kids, go to bank for pennies/quarters for penny machines and get cash for traveling, schedule hair cut, get pedicure, get travel groceries, print off confirmations, import pictures from phone to laptop to make more space for travel photos, check into flight

Now that you've listed everything, determine which of those things can ONLY be done a certain date. For example, I can only drop my dogs off at the kennel on the date their reservation starts. I can only check into my flight the day before it leaves. For those items, put in parenthesis next to them the date you HAVE to do them. Example, Check into flight (8/31), dogs to kennel (8/30). Separate the "DATE CERTAIN" items from your list, and put them into chronological order.

Go through your remaining "FLEXIBLE" list, and add tasks into you "DATE CERTAIN" list in chronological order on the days you think it would be best to get them done.

Example:
Do Laundry (8/26)
Pack Me (8/26)
Pack Kids (8/27)
Get Hair cut (8/28)
Go to Bank (8/28)
Dogs to Kennel (8/30)
Print Off Confirmations (8/30)
Check into Flight (8/31)

In the end, all of your "To Do" items should have a date next to them, and they should be in chronological order. Every day you should look at your list, and remind yourself of what you wanted to accomplish that day.

If your list is anything like mine, you will find that there are a lot of things you can do at any time before you leave. Checking off 1-2 items a day instead of letting them all pile up is certainly helping alleviate my travel stress

Sorry for the long post - but I hope some of you find this helpful!

 

[Weather_Lady]

I LOVE a good list - it makes me so happy! Yours is awesome!

I would also add (if applicable), for the days leading up to the trip:
- return or renew any checked-out library materials
- refill prescriptions
- air out/wipe down stored luggage
- take care of any necessary home maintenance (salt in water softener, replace furnace filters, etc.)
- print/pre-stuff Mousekeeping tip envelopes, and get extra small bills for tips (e.g., luggage handlers) - probably subsumed in the OP's "get cash for traveling" step

...and on the day you leave:
- empty all wastebaskets
- unplug small appliances
- lovingly nag husband to make sure he hasn't forgotten his "irreplaceables" (ID and prescription meds)

 

[Susan Savia]

We've made the trip so many times in the past (since 1984) that I 'know' what goes with us and what needs to be done at home prior. I just go into vacation mode and somehow, it all gets done and nothing is foregotten.

 

[LowesChevy]

Great lists!
We all seem to have our own lists and responsibilities before we leave. I take care of all the Disney related plans, envelopes, reservation numbers for the resorts; DF has the car rental, does the garbage, packs the cases; DM finishes up the laundry, small appliances, house things etc-she honestly has the most time to prepare, but is always rushing at the last minute! so her nature

I adopted the mega list making technique in college. It keeps me on task for everything! I have packing lists specifically geared to our favorite travel destinations, so we rarely forget something.

 

[PixieDustMamma]

You guys are speaking my love language with a list! And these are all awesome. Y'all just made my day lol

 

[Weather_Lady]

We've made the trip so many times in the past (since 1984) that I 'know' what goes with us and what needs to be done at home prior. I just go into vacation mode and somehow, it all gets done and nothing is foregotten.

That is awesome! I confess that I'm a little jealous -- I wish I had that mode. Unfortunately, I'm the kind of person who walks into a room (and out of it) three times before I can remember why I went in there in the first place!

So, I have lists for my lists, or I'd always forget something important. (Seriously, I do -- my "Disney to do" list has several attachments, including our budget list, touring itinerary lists and Disney packing list, and then the packing list has its own attached sub-lists for things like last-minute groceries, first aid kit contents, toiletry kit contents, etc. -- because we travel carryon-only and pack very light, the packing list even specifies exactly what items go in which personal item or suitcase, and in what size pouch or packing cube...)

But what it all means at the end of the day is that our Disney preparation and packing is stress-free! As long as I can see all those little check-boxes marked off, I can rest assured that nothing has been forgotten, and the whole process feels organized and serene, even though the bags don't get packed until the night before we leave (with an early-morning flight).

Appropos of nothing, it's not unusual for my DH to find me packing for a trip while singing softly, "I Love My LIST!" to the tune of the Veggietales song, "I Love My Lips."

 

[G8rchamps]

We live less than 2 hours from the world so we have the "Disney Bin" It is a rectangular plastic storage bin that is home to: pins, autograph books/pens, sorcerers of the magic kingdom cards, ears, 2 light up toys, dollar store glow bracelets, fireworks ear plugs for the little one, sunscreen, band aids, rolaids (just in case), ibuprofen, frog tog, hand sanitizer, wine opener.... you get the idea. It fits right in the trunk and then we have it all with us. Then we can pack a backpack each day depending on our plans, but the bin is always ready to go on a moments notice!

 

[Disneykings]

wow, I want to live where you do. We don't do number 3, Home. My mother in law does look after Woody the Guinea Pig though. I'm more like you Weather_lady, I cant function without my to do lists. I have spread sheets with tabs, which slowly filters into one sheet which I take with me. My calendar tab finishes with my daughters birthday the day before we go. Which makes packing fun when also throwing a party and decorating the house with the party theme choice. Every year I swear never again!

 

[KLeigh]

My "to do" list also includes:

• clean the house
• put clean sheets on the bed(s)

If you have to come home from WDW, nothing beats coming home to a clean house and fresh sheets on the bed. (My mother would be so proud!)

 

[ninjaprincesst]

I'm one of those people that has it all done days ahead of time, but last year with my current work hours 2pm-10pm and a 45 minute commute each way I was still packing at midnight the night before when we were leaving for the airport at 3am. The whole trip I had a nagging feeling I had forgot something, I hadn't but I just hate that unorganized feeling. I don't like that this year I will just find the time to go back to being my super organized self

 

[LadyBelle]

I would add:

Pack a month in advance, then repack, add, take away, change how you pack, then go back to the original items to put in the carry-on. And try not to pack for *every* possible scenario....

I make sure that I pack very smartly and efficiently on the way to WDW. Then throw it all back in there in such a way that any souvenirs can fit in the luggage.

 

[DManRightHere]

I do like to make packing lists. I have a generic list that has everything I may possible need except for camping items. That way I have to at least aknowledge and purposefully omit an item instead of trying to think of what items I need for a specific trip.

 

[Courtney6682]

We pack the night before, it's our tradition...gets us in vacay mode

 

[disneygirl76]

Ooooohhhhh! I love a good list!!!!!

Don't forget to hold mail or set up someone to get your mail. (water plants, feed the cat, get packages off your porch are also included in this set up)