4 Valuable Travel Organizing Lessons

I’m going to tell you something that I never thought I would say. On my recent trip abroad, I was not organized! There.  I said it. And it’s true. Although I knew we were going away,  I was so busy with the business that I lost sight of the fact that I needed to get organized for our trip.  Needless to say,  I felt rushed, forgot to pack some essential items and didn’t have time to handle certain household matters before we left.  As you can imagine, being a professional organizer this was not acceptable and I felt so utterly out of control the whole getaway felt chaotic and stressful.  This has never happened to me before but it has taught me some valuable lessons.

First lesson:  Forgive yourself for not being perfect!  In this crazy hectic life that we sometimes lead, the best of intentions can fall to the wayside.  It’s OK to not be perfect and sometimes good enough is in fact good enough. Sometimes it has to be.

Second lesson: Always pack your prescription medicines in your carry on luggage.  I knew this yet in my haste they made it to the wrong bag.

Third lesson:  If you’re leaving for a warmer or colder climate, make sure you try on your seasonal clothing before your leave.  In my case I had lost a fair bit of weight and much of my warm climate clothes were falling off of me.  Not a huge deal if you enjoy shopping in an unfamiliar place.  I generally don’t enjoy shopping at all and having to do so under duress is even worse.

Fourth lesson: Smile. Relax. Don’t forget to ask for help.

It will all work out.

And in fact, it did.  I survived, did a little shopping, even had time to check out some new organizational products along the way.  Smiles and relaxation were plentiful with the support and encouragement from those around me.

The point is, even professional organizers are not perfectly organized in their own lives.  So cut yourself some slack, do your best to be organized but give yourself permission to not be on the mark 100% of the time.    Life can (and will) get in the way sometimes.