Getting ready to go on a big trip is a discipline all its own. From maintaining currency of one’s passport to arranging foreign visas, thinking about money matters, to making sure your health is in order and finally packing and figuring out how to maintain the home life you leave behind, it all takes a fair amount of time and thought. Yeah, it’s all work, but it’s work towards the uniquely great rewards of travel.
A number of pre-travel to-dos don’t quite fit into those boxes though – simple actions that I still consider essential, but don’t make themselves known quite the way a packing list or required foreign visa might.
These are some of the Pre-Travel Rituals I engage in before I leave for independent travel:
PRE-TRAVEL RITUALS: DO THESE WEEKS BEFORE THE TRIP
BREAK IN YOUR SHOES / BOOTS
Or rather, break in your feet – and earn your initial blisters and callouses at home. Don’t make the mistake of taking brand new shoes along and expecting long walks to go over well.
EXERCISE REGULARLY
Regular physical activity prior to a trip never hurts – especially if you’ve planned a lot of physical activity on your trip. If you’re going to be doing a lot of walking, walk a lot before you go. Plus, this is a great way to break in your shoes.
ACCLIMATIZE TO WEARING YOUR BACKPACK
If you are not accustomed to walking (or trekking) with a fully-loaded backpack, you should also consider walking reasonable distances (or Great Distances for that matter, yuk yuk) while wearing your pack at its heaviest. This is a great way to find out how your pack fits you, and if you need to redistribute the weight in your pack. You can do these mini-hikes in any public park. You’ll look a little silly, but considerably less silly than if you’re unable to carry your backpack while you’re on your actual trip.
DO THESE DAYS BEFORE THE TRIP
UPDATE YOUR PERSONAL HYGIENE
I like to get a haircut, cut my nails, and just feel clean and ready to start a big trip each time. I know I can do this on the road, but it just feels good to be at my best when I get on my first flight out. I’ll get grimy soon enough.
CONSIDER REGULATING YOUR CAFFEINE INTAKE
I drink enough coffee that I experience severe penalties if I don’t caffeinate at least once a day. If I’m going somewhere in which this will be a difficult fix to fix, I consider stair-stepping down my caffeine intake a few weeks before I leave home (though I should say, finding caffeine isn’t often a problem). Also, if you’re a serious coffee drinker that winds up in the lands of the dreaded Nescafe culture, stop fooling yourself and switch to tea already.
CLEAN UP YOUR APARTMENT/HOUSE
It sucks coming home to a completely trashed abode after a trip. Sometimes packing for a trip is an inherently destructive process and leaving a mess behind is inevitable, but if you can manage it, tidy your domicile to a point before you leave – especially if you’re subletting it while you’re gone.
SYNC YOUR MUSIC PLAYER UP WITH ALL THE TUNES YOU’LL WANT/NEED FOR THE TRIP
I used to have to go through a lengthy and meticulous process of syncing my iPod/iPhone to my iTunes library before departure. These days (2015) I just build Spotify playlists on my 32 GB iPhone and set each playlist to be “available offline”, which downloads a copy of the music file to the phone. No, it’s not audiophile quality sound by any measure, but it’s convenient and changeable on the road (and to think, I used to travel with 32 CDs and a Discman).
If you need to sync up a travel computer (or tablet) with necessary documents and applications, do that too. And don’t forget to put some movies and/or seasons of TV shows on your hard drive if you can – you’ll watch them at some point, for sure.
Real talk: in 2014, I had only Steve Martin’s “The Jerk” on my 11″ MacBook Air for months of travel in Central America, which I ended up introducing to a wide variety of other travelers during multiple viewings in different countries. Before this, I thought everybody had seen “The Jerk”. Now everyone HAS.
DAY OF DEPARTURE
THROW AWAY OR GIVE AWAY ALL PERISHABLE FOOD ITEMS
This one’s critical. Do NOT forget to remove all your perishables from the refrigerator and cupboard and either trash them or give them to a friend, family member or roommate (or charity). You don’t want to come back to a refrigerator that qualifies as a Superfund site.
DON’T TRAVEL WITH THE KEYS TO YOUR PLACE – LEAVE THEM WITH SOMEONE
If you’re planning a long trip, leave the keys to your apartment or house behind if at all possible – this’ll keep you from losing them on the road due to potential loss or theft of your personal bags. Leave the keys with a next-door neighbor, family member or friend so you can gain access to your home easily upon return. If you’re leaving a car behind, do the same for the car keys.
UPDATE YOUR VOICE MAIL MESSAGE, AND ACTIVATE AN E-MAIL AUTO-REPLY
If you won’t be able to answer your cellphone for weeks, put an appropriate message on your voice mail so people don’t think you’ve turned against them or passed away. That said, I don’t recommend telling them you’re out of the country unless absolutely necessary (that could be a recipe for a burglary of your place). Just say you won’t be checking your voicemail nor texts (if applicable), and offer up your email address, spelled out, letter for letter – just in case someone new is calling that doesn’t have your e-mail on file.
Here’s a sample script:
“Hi, this is Matt – I am not answering this phone at present nor will I be receiving voicemails nor text messages here. If you need to reach me, please e-mail me at ‘MATT AT EMAIL DOT COM’ – again that’s ‘M-A-T-T @ E-M-A-I-L-DOT-COM’. Thank you for your patience.”
(Notice how I didn’t reveal my location nor how long I would be gone, nor did I give anyone any reason to worry about me? Simple and slightly vague is best, in my opinion.)
If your internet access will be spotty, activate a vacation auto-reply on your e-mail address(es) for the same reason – especially if colleagues have come to expect super-speedy replies from you. An auto-reply will keep the work wolves at bay.
TELL YOUR SPOUSE / MOM / DAD / SISTER / BROTHER THAT YOU LOVE THEM!
Always! It’s a nice touch before you get on the plane.
Thanks for reading! Comment below with any pre-travel rituals in which you engage.
