The Lazy Genius Podcast - #411 - 10 Things to Do Before Taking a Trip

Episode Date: March 31, 2025

As we get a little closer to spring break and summer which inevitably involves a trip or two, I wanted to do an episode to help us think about trips with a little more intention. The ten things apply to work trips, family vacations, girls weekends, all the things. If you leave your house for more than a night or two and then come back home, this episode will be helpful. Helpful Companion Links Order my new book The PLAN or ask your library to consider carrying a copy. Bonus Episode: The Disney World Episode Episode #165: The Lazy Genius Packs for a Trip Episode #248: The Lazy Genius Guide to Easier Travel Episode #265: How to Come Home from Vacation Sign up for the Latest Lazy Listens email. Grab a copy of my book The Lazy Genius Kitchen or The Lazy Genius Way! (Affiliate links) Download a transcript of this episode. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hey there, you're listening to the lazy genius podcast. I'm Kendra Adachi, and I'm here to help you be a genius about the things that matter and lazy about the things that don't. Today is episode 411, 10 things to do before taking a trip. As we get a little closer to spring break and summer, which inevitably involves a trip or two. I wanted to do an episode to help us think about trips with just a little bit more intention. Doing a bit of kind preparation ahead of time, it gives you something to start. from a bit of a logistical foundation that can make the entire trip easier. The 10 things I'm going to share with you today apply to work trips, family vacations, girls weekends, all the things. If you leave your house for more than a night or two and if you come back home, this episode will be helpful. So let's just jump right in to the 10 things to do before taking a trip. Number one, be clear about what this trip really is. There is a difference between a work trip, a sightseeing trip, a restful vacation, A trip or vacation with tiny children.

There's not one universal trip vibe, right? So before you leave, you need to know the kind of vibe your trip is. What are your expectations? And are they reasonable? I once took a work trip to Santa Barbara, California. I was speaking at a conference held at the Santa Barbara Ritz Carlton, which is on the beach and the nicest hotel I've ever seen in my actual life. I had the like quote unquote worst room in the hotel and it was still the nicest room I have ever seen in my whole life by like a lot.

Anyway, I was not taking a vacation to Santa Barbara. I was going to work. I did a keynote talk at this conference and that required preparation for my mind and my body, not to mention flying across the country. That trip was also on the tail end of a week long trip that included Indianapolis too. I live in North Carolina for those of you who don't know that. So it was like a lot of time, a lot of distance, and I was going to both work and I also wanted to kind of intentionally rest because this was my last trip from a busy book launch season. Now here's where I tell you this, not because I stayed in a cool hotel room.

If I had not named that this was still a work trip, right? This was a work trip. And that I still needed to maintain expectations that it was work and that I would not get to rest a ton. I would have resented any rest I did not get. But because I knew that it was a work trip and I set up my expectations that way, anything that was restful or like non-work related

was just the best whipped cream on top. It was all like bonus fries in the bottom of the bag. If you're taking your family to Disney World, this trip will not be restful. This will not be a vacation where you vacate your normal responsibilities. Now you just have to parent in Florida alongside Mickey Mouse and like highly expensive French fries. Be clear about what your trip really is so that you can enjoy it for what it is instead of being frustrated with what it's not. So that's number one. Know what your trip is,

man. Number two, know what matters for everyone. This is this is really key. If you don't know what matters, you will try and make everything matter. We know this so well from very many episodes of the Lacey Genius podcast. Every decision you make, it flows better if it comes from what matters. And depending on the type of trip, it's not just what matters to you. Are you traveling with your family, with girlfriends, with work? If you're taking a trip and other people are involved, it's so essential to find out what matters to those people. Otherwise, you might spend unnecessary time and energy planning something that no one really cares about.

You're just assuming that people care. Or if you know that something that doesn't matter to you, does matter to someone you're traveling with, you will have more compassion for that thing because you care about the person. Our family took a trip to Disney World a couple of years ago, and I actually made a bonus episode sharing what we learned and the things that we did. So side note, if you have Disney on your horizon, I would encourage you to listen to that episode. You can either, you know, click the link in the show notes or you can just Google lazy genius Disney and you'll see it. Anyway, when we went, it was crucial that we knew what mattered to everyone so that we could make sure every person got to do the one thing that mattered the most to them. And again, everything else was just, you know, bonus fries.

our family is taking a little trip to Atlanta soon. And this piece, this number two, find out what matters to everyone, is critical. One kid really wants to go to the aquarium. Another one is pretty jazzed about the world of Coke. Another one just wants to eat ice cream like as much as possible. We eat a lot of ice cream when we go on trips. So talking as a family about what is important to each individual, it helps us be better travelers together.

We all know that not everything is going to be everyone's favorite thing. but every person will get to do their favorite thing. So know what matters for everyone. Okay, number three, think about what you need early enough to have it. This is one of the most stressful parts of taking a trip, no matter what it's for. When you don't think about what you need until the night before, you're stressed and scrambling and, you know, taking emergency trips to the store to impulse buy all the travel-sized everything.

Now, last-minute scrambles are normal. even the most organized preparers have them. My invitation to you here is simply to think about what you need early enough to have it. If you find that most trips require a last-minute scramble because you don't usually have what you need when you're packing, start thinking about it a little sooner than usual. Put it on your calendar even so you'll remember. My oldest kid just took a class trip to New York. And about a week before, we thought through all the things that he would need that we might not have.

Now, since he has ADHD, it's helpful for him to have like double of things in his room so that he can pack early and not have to worry about bringing or bringing home his like home versions of things. So we need to replenish a couple of those things. He didn't have double up. Like he needed another deodorant. He also needed to be responsible for taking his own medication both in the morning and the evening. Now, because easy order, like very simple order is helpful. to his brain. We ended up getting him a new pill container that has like individual containers within it. It's like a big container with seven individual containers labeled with the day. And then it has

them in each of those day ones that has a morning spot and an evening spot. And so he only had to take the pill containers for the days he was gone. He didn't take the whole thing. You know, he just took Friday and Saturday. So think about those kinds of things early. If you think about them early, it helps you have what you need to enjoy your trip and not experience. It's unnecessary stress because you don't have all that you need. So number three, think about what you need early enough to have it. Welcome aboard via rail. Please sit and enjoy.

Please sit and stretch. Steep. Flip. Or that. And enjoy. Via rail, love the way. Aw, isn't something we need to travel for. It's something waiting for us in everyday life.

Whether in a city street, or a moment with a work of art. I'm Dr. Keltner, host of the Science of Happiness podcast. Join me for Cities of Aw, a special series on how our public spaces can spark awe, wonder, and enhance the quality of public life. You can find us wherever you listen to your podcasts.

All right. Number four, clean out the car. Now, obviously, this does not matter if you are flying in an airplane, but in that case, clean out your purse, like legit. This is such an oversight that we, all experience. You're packing the stuff to take with you. And then when it's time to load that stuff up into your car, you realize there is no space to load up. Or there's like unknown sticky substances in various places that feel, I don't know, less than okay for like a long trip, right? And also, I did not mention your purse as a joke. Like clean out your purse before you take a trip if you

can. Having the essentials, only the essentials in your vehicle, in your bag, and whatever you're taking with you is so helpful for an easier trip. You just don't have like extra, you know, like, of receipts or whatever in the bag when you're trying to get to your passport or whatever. And I would try to do it before the day you leave. You know, maybe try to not do it like right when you realize it as you're pulling out of your driveway or whatever. That adds stress. If you do forget, if you forget to clean out your car and it's, you know, it's the time

that you're leaving, don't do it right when you're leaving. Use your first gas station or like rest area stop to do that. Okay? You're already going to be stopped. take a breather and throw your trash. You can use like little hand wipes to clean up anything sticky. Just do a quick reset when given the chance. You'll probably feel better, but you don't have to do it like panic style right when you're

trying to leave. Okay, so that's number four. Clean out your car or your purse. Number five, make plans for porch pets and plants. Depending on how long you're gone, you might need to arrange for the care of the things that arrive on your porch. Like online shipments, you forgot, you were coming, they were coming. And like, your mail, you know. Now your pets, you're probably not going to forget about your pets, but like, I don't know, fish. Do people sometimes forget about their fish? Think about your pets and also

your plants. Like, these are somewhat obvious, but they're also peripheral. They're not directly related to your trip. And so they're easy to forget about. So this is just your reminder. Make plans for your porch, your pets, and your plants. Number six, make hangary plans. This is a very important. Inevitably, there will be some time during your trip. When you or a human that you are traveling with, we'll get hungry. They're hungry and grumpy from traveling, and food is required to restore order. Now, this could have many applications. You pack snacks, right? Especially a couple that are higher in protein. Cool. You have a couple of restaurants. or even like a city picked out as a likely lunch stop on a long road trip,

so you're not like scrambling for where you're going to stop. You pack a picnic ahead of time in a cooler so you don't even have to worry about that. If you're at a theme park or in a big city, look up reviews for restaurants or food trucks before you get there. So you're not scrambling and yelling at everyone to like, just be quiet for a second so you can look. I've never done that, ever. I didn't do that at Disney World in front of an Italian restaurant.

otherwise you are standing in line for a mediocre overpriced burger that doesn't really make anyone happy okay so think through your trip even if it's just you and make hangary plans number seven i think this is my favorite one number seven pack a mom bag pack a mom bag this is true whether you're traveling with kids with adults or by yourself a mom bag is a gift a mom bag has chapstick and hair ties and bandates and hungry snacks and a fidget toy because they know that standing in line will take some time and hand sanitizer and nail clippers and gum and all those teeny tiny things that bring a lot of relief when we have them. Mom bags tend to the tiny annoyances of life and they meet us right where we are like actual moms are sometimes known to do. Mom bags are like kind

presences to help us feel better when something goes like a little bit wrong. My mom bag for myself always has a nail buffer because I have perpetually weak nails and I also pick at them when I'm nervous or like annoyed or stressed out or whatever. So a buffer, it helps me like smooth out the stress on my nails. It's quite lovely to have. Like I feel like I'm caring for myself in a sweet little way when I just pull out my little nail buffer. So no matter who you're traveling with, whether you're a mom or not, pack a mom bag. Number eight, enjoy getting there, not just being there. I have learned this one from my husband. He is such a good traveler. He makes everything fun, even the getting there, maybe especially the getting there.

Getting into the van to drive somewhere is not stressful because he won't let it be. He's like so happy to go somewhere with his family. He's cracking dad jokes out of the gate. He's never rushed, which helps me ease off the proverbial gas pedal to get out the door because that is definitely my personality. And we always have like a little bit of pep in our step when we leave because he treasures the getting there just as much as the being. being there. So if you don't have a cause in your car, just remember to ease up a little. See the good

that's here right now. Enjoy the gingerail that you get on the airplane. Airplane gingerail is so good. Play the alphabet game with road signs. Buy a big bag of chips at the gas station. Pull over to see the world's biggest rocking chair if you happen to pass it. Enjoy getting there, not just being there. Number nine, come home well. I did an entire episode of on this, you guys. Episode 265, how to come home from vacation. If you struggle with the on-ramp back home, go listen to that whole episode. The point, though, is to pay attention to coming home. Just like you want to enjoy getting there and not just being there, you also want to enjoy coming home. Make coming home something that welcomes you with open, cozy arms rather than like

abrupt time travel that just spits you out at home in like a pile of suitcases or something, like a hoggworts pork key. Priya Parker is an expert on intentional gatherings, and she often talks about how the beginning and the end of a party or a staff meeting or any kind of gathering are the most important. The beginning sets the tone. In the end is what you often remember. When the beginnings and endings are a rough go,

it's tough to have accurate positive memories of the middle. So coming home well, it is a kindness to yourself and your family. Coming home with purpose, with intention, is maybe just as important as the trip itself. Again, you can listen to episode 265 if you would like a whole lot more on that. And then finally, number 10, practice patience over perfection. At first I said when I was creating this episode, choose patience over perfection. But while it is a choice, it's also a practice.

You're going to have to make the choice over and over again. So it's probably good to just start out with the expectation that it'll happen a lot. practice patience over perfection. Not everybody who listens to this show resonates with perfection, but I know a good portion of you do. I am definitely like the big sister for big sisters. And I know that some of you really value things going super well and that the plan and the people fall in line.

But that requires so much energy from you. And it's not even a realistic expectation. Just like learning to pivot is more important than learning to plan. I think when it comes to travel and even to life itself, practicing patience is way more important than finding perfection. Finding perfection is a fool's errand. You think you're the one to plan the perfect trip and you're going to have perfectly behaved children and everything's going to go off without a hitch. But there are always hitches. There are always meltdowns and long lines and closed stores and canceled flights and hotel rooms that do not look as good in real life as they did in the pictures.

go ahead and start practicing patience now. You can totally prepare as best as you're able with the energy that you have, and that's great. But remember that adjusting and noticing are just as important as preparation. Remember we learn that in the plan from our plan acronym. And patience with yourself and your partner and the lady slowly checking you into a thing you're already laid for, it is so much better than holding tight to the perfect trip. So practice patience over perfection. Okay, so to recap, before you take a trip, be clear about what the trip really is.

Know what matters to everyone. Think about what you need early enough to have it. Clean out the car or your purse. Make plans for your porch, your pets, and your plants. Make hangary plans. Pack a mom bag. Enjoy getting there, not just being there. Come home well.

and practice patience over perfection. And those are 10 things to do before taking a trip. Real quick, next week, the latest lazy letter is going to hit your inboxes. This is a long form monthly newsletter where I share more vulnerable things, I would say, going on in my life. I'm like trying things out. I'm processing relational situations. I'm sharing book reviews of the many, many books I read.

This month, it will include when I cried at Carpal Drop-Off, N, why? what I gave up for Lent, my deep dive into DIY color analysis, y'all, I have gone so far, and reviews of the 10 books that I read this month, including my first Drumione fanfic, everyone. It is a newsletter that many people very much love. They say it's a balm, that it helps them feel less alone, that it gives ideas to make life easier, and that it bloats your TBR. Sorry about that last one. But if you would like to get the latest lazy letter, you can go to the lazy genus,

collective.com slash join. Just enter your email address and you'll get the next one next Wednesday. Also, we have gotten word that some of your newsletters have been going into spam folders recently. So if you get to the first Wednesday of the month and you do not have the newsletter, you should. So check your spam folder. Once you bring it into your primary inbox at least once, it likely won't land in spam again. But I'm a business email address and the newsletter is long. So it's like a ripe combo for being filtered into a random folder. So just double check if that might be you so you don't miss the newsletter. All right, before we go, let's celebrate the lazy genius of the week.

This week it is Nora Carson. Nora writes, every time my family goes on a trip, I make a big packing list to make sure we remember everything. Instead of trashing it as we head out the door, I bring it along so that when the trip is over and it comes time to pack back up, I use the list as a checklist to ensure we're bringing all our stuff home, especially if we're staying in a rental home, when it's not always clear what's ours and what belongs at the house.

This is like low-key so good. It feels like such a simple thing, especially because you probably assume like I do that you'll remember to pack everything back up. But you might not. Like think about the frenzy of when you're leaving somewhere. Trying to remember stuff, it takes up valuable mental energy.

So having that packing list with you when you repack is so helpful. I will also say a great application of this is if a kid is going somewhere on their own. as you're heading into like summer camps and stuff, send the packing list with your kid. We have done this with our boys when they've gone to camp. It's been so helpful. Or if you have like basic packing lists done another way, like in an app or something, make a smaller list of things that you or your kids are likely to forget, like chargers,

water bottles, jewelry. Even that helps lighten the load when you're coming home. So it's a great idea, Nora. Thanks for sharing. And congratulations on being the lazy genius of the week. This podcast is part of the Odyssey family. and the Office Ladies Network. This episode is hosted by me, Kendra Adachi, and executive produced by Kendra Adachi, Jenna Fisher, and Angela Kinsey. Special thanks to Leah Jarvis for weekly production.

Thanks y'all for listening. And until next time, be a genius about the things that matter and lazy about the things that don't. I'm Kendra, and I'll see you next week. You ever felt like you were living just a B or B plus life? It's so dangerous to live that. More dangerous than a B minus or a C plus life? Because when you're living a B or B plus life, you don't change it. You think it's good enough. Is it? I'm Susie Welch. I host a podcast called Becoming You. People think, okay, an A-plus life is not available to me, but there is a way. We are all in the process of becoming ourselves. Listen to Becoming You wherever you get your podcasts.