Organizing the Preparation for a Road Trip

Spring is upon us, which means that summer is just around the corner. Which means vacations.  

Before we know it. 

And sweet merciful Lord, don’t we know it.

In the daily hustle and bustle of being wives and moms, our vacation planning can often take a backseat to the task of keeping small humans alive. As the departure date approaches, the task of planning our trip gets put off and put off (and put off), and looms larger and larger in our minds until we feel completely overwhelmed. 

With the million or so odd things waiting to be scheduled and bought and straightened out—not just for ourselves, but for two,  three, or a thousand other people—it’s easy to get so lost that we shut down. Then the days start to slip by and our vacation becomes a  source of the very stress it should be rescuing us from. When so much goes into vacation planning, where do we even start? We start by planning our vacation planning. 

And what if you simply don’t know everything about everything, or about how much to pack or what to bring or how far ahead to start? Before you know it, you’re hastily buying random supplies from Amazon, scheduling last miniature experiences, and stressing about forgotten travel connections.

Sometimes all you need is a vacation from planning your vacation planning. 

As a mom, my heart cries out for the perfect family vacation! I want nothing more than to let my children live the dream—if but briefly—and create memories to share for years to come.  We all know these moments are fleeting and we want to make the most of them.

For that reason, the next few weeks The Tidy Fox will focus on summer vacations and road trips. And giving ourselves the best chance for some joyous, low-stress time with our families. 

This week I’ll be posting all the lists and guides you’ll need for keeping track of what and how much to bring so that you can rest easy knowing you have all the luggage and none of the baggage.

Today, for starters, I give you The Vacation Plan Plan:

Often, the best way to complete a daunting task is to break it down into simpler, “too-small-to-fail” micro-tasks. By setting small, realistic goals and working these into a breathable schedule, we allow ourselves the best opportunity for a smooth preparation phase and a peaceful departure. The free downloadable guide above breaks down the essentials of family road trip planning to help you organize your process. It is easy to modify to suit an experienced traveler’s needs and thorough enough to help a beginner starting from scratch, step by step, from Moment One—deciding where to go and when!—and Moment Last (i.e. loading up your car). 

As the series unfolds, I will be dedicating this blog primarily to vacation organizing, and providing time-tested wisdom that complements the information in the above guide, all to the purpose of making vacation prep as effortless as possible. You can download the guide free here.

Of course, as always, I’m eager to hear your thoughts! What secrets have you plumbed from the depths of vacation planning despair to make it all run smoother? Have you created your own Vacation Plan plan that’s just begging to be snapshotted and shared with moms across these here Internets? Share in the comments below