8 Tips For Unpacking From Vacation

You know the scene. You arrive home from vacation exhausted after a long day of traveling. You quickly wash your face and brush your teeth and plop into bed. And there in the corner sits your luggage, full of clothes and travel mementos.

Full confession: That used to be me. Until I decided that I didn’t like my luggage sitting there for a week or two before I unpacked. I didn’t like my luggage sitting in my room, taunting me to unpack it. I didn’t like wondering where that pair of shoes, (or insert other piece of clothing, jewelry, etc.) were.

This last week, I had a surprise when I found I had forgotten to unpack completely because I had a friend coming over and I had set my luggage aside, out of sight. And then I saw some memes about people who don’t unpack right away, so I guess it wasn’t just me, but it’s a thing.

Here’s a few tips that help me and I hope will help you through the luggage unpacking process.

1. Unpacking actually starts when you’re on vacation. Avoid shoving your dirty clothes back into your suitcase and then digging through it when you get home to figure out what’s dirty, ((sniff)… did I wear that?!) Keep your dirty clothes separate from your clean clothes. You can either use the laundry bags that the hotel provides, bring your own laundry bag, or a separate packing cube, or even in a separate section of your suitcase. I do a little bit of all of the above to keep my clean and dirty clothes separate.
2. And sometimes, depending on how lightly I’ve packed, I just throw all of my clothes into the laundry when I get home. … and on that note, one of my friends and clients does her laundry on the cruise ship before she comes home.
3. Repack and organize your suitcase the night before you go home. Don’t leave it to the last few minutes before you check out of your hotel to get organized.
4. Set a timer for unpacking. Set the timer for 25 minutes. See if you can beat the clock. Unpack everything and put everything away, including the suitcase. I actually use this timer setting method for lots of cleaning and organizing activities around the house and office, like I’m going to pick up or organize for 10 minutes, and then maybe I’ll add another 10 minutes. Or I’m going to clean the kitchen for 15 minutes and then when I see I’m almost done in 15 minutes, I just finish.
5. Pack like clothes together so that when you unpack and put them away, you can do that in one easy motion.
6. Some people dump everything in their suitcase out on their bed or on their floor and then put it away or in the laundry from there. I’m actually surprised I don’t unpack this way because that is basically how I clean every other room or organize a drawer, cupboard, etc. I dump everything into a big pile and then work the pile down. (Want to know more? It all started when I shared a bedroom with my sister who would put all of my stuff in a pile. Been cleaning and organizing that way ever since.)
7. Have a separate toiletries bag just for travel. Then when you unpack (and pack) that makes it easy to just grab the toiletry bag and put it away ready for the next time. You probably noticed when you used the items if you needed to replace anything, so make a note of that. I tell Alexa to add that to my shopping list. I also have a separate electronics bag that I keep just for travel. Again, that makes packing and unpacking that much easier.
8. If you catch yourself procrastinating, try playing a game with yourself like setting the timer (see above) or playing music, or watching Seinfeld reruns. Or give yourself a reward when you finish the job. (what can I say?! I like games, I’m a youngest child.)

​How do you get your suitcase unpacked? Is it an easy task or one you struggle with? Or do you like looking at it sitting in the corner reminding you of what a great time you had? Let me know in the comments. And share your tips there, too!

Also, can I ask you a favor? If you enjoyed this article, please share it with someone you think will enjoy it. I appreciate it.

Would you like my free packing list? Email me here with packing list, please in the subject line, and I’ll get it out to you.

If you’d like me to help you plan your next trip that you will have to pack and unpack for, contact me for a free consultation.