When you first confirm a reservation for a vacation you have a rush of excitement and anticipation. You get a little giddy and cannot wait to experience a new place, or return to a favorite place. Thinking about leaving behind your work and your normal life for a little while and getting to spend some well-earned “me time” brings one of life’s greatest feelings of freedom. As I get ready for a vacation myself, here are some thoughts we all have in the weeks leading up to a vacation.

When you first book the trip:

1. I am so excited for this trip/this is going to be awesome!
   1. This thought usually happens at the beginning of the packing. You think this as your first thought after having scheduled the vacation and continues to ring though your mind until the day before you leave. Or if you are like me, the morning of said vacation.
2. What are we going to do when we get there?
   1. This thought usually follows the first thought. When you first schedule a vacation you are excited and immediately want to start planning for it; deciding what to pack, planning activities for once you are there etc. The most exciting part about planning a vacation is thinking about all the new foods I am going to try.
3. I can not wait/I hope (time before vacation) goes quickly!
   1. Waiting for something is exciting is the hardest part. Every day you have to work and you are counting the hours until you can leave just drags. It is even worse when you plan your trip far in advance (kudos to you out there who are able to plan in advance because I am not great at it) and you have weeks and weeks before you can even start getting ready for the trip. When you are so close to leaving you can almost taste it:
4. Wow I leave in just a few days, I should probably start packing.
   1. Again, congratulations to those people who actually start packing more than the night before/morning of a trip.
5. I should make a list of all the things I need to do to make sure everything goes smoothly.
   1. Lists are great. Always make lists. Plan what you are going to pack, make a list of all the travel documents you need, things to do before you leave etc. This will make the day of your trip so much easier and you will actually be able to think on the day of, rather than having your brain running around like crazy trying to keep track of everything that still needs to be done.
   T-4 Hours:
6. Why didn’t I listen to thoughts 4 and 5?/Where the heck is my list?
   1. This is me every time. I run around my house and throw random things into my suitcase that I feel I might need, “just in case”.
   En Route:
7. Okay I think I have everything I need, and if I don’t I will have to buy it there.
   1. You finally make peace with the fact that you probably forgot something in all the chaos pre-vacation but at this point you just have to roll without it.
8. I am so excited for this trip/this is going to be awesome!
   1. Even with all the chaos that goes into planning for a trip, when you finally are on your way you can relax and return to the excitement and anticipation you had when you first booked the trip. Enjoy!