We know that coming back from a trip can be tough: You’re usually tired from the long journey, wishing you were still on vacation, and may be a little overwhelmed by what you need to do to get back in the swing of things.
Luckily, there are a few things you can do as soon as you get home to help make the transition a bit easier.
Here are five things you should do as soon as you get home from a trip:
First things first: Unpack right away
You’re probably exhausted from your long journey, but you should definitely resist the urge to throw your suitcase on the floor and leave it for later.
Unpacking right away makes you feel like you’re home, and it eliminates the most visible task you have to take care of to transition back home. This helps you relax, and it helps you have a fresh start.
Putting your stuff back where it belongs will also prevent the clothes you still have in your suitcase from getting wrinkled. Plus, everything you need daily—like a toothbrush, for example—will be back where you need it so you’re not scrambling the next day and you’re better able to transition back into your daily routine.
Check on those funds
If you used a credit card while you were abroad, you should take a look at the account online as soon as you get home. Make sure you don’t see any charges that you don’t recognize, and if you do, contact your bank right away.
Hopefully, you notified your bank that you would be abroad, but if you didn’t, now is also a good time to contact them to explain charges coming from a different place.
This is also a good time to separate out any cash you still have from overseas—find a place to put those extra Euros so you’ll have them for next time!
Don’t forget about water
Did you know that you can lose up to two liters of water on a flight?
Planes at high altitude are dry, low-oxygen environments, causing dehydration in passengers. This is bad for your skin, your mood, and your immune system. And after being on a passenger plane, you want to make sure you don’t get sick (which brings us to another tip: showering right away).
Speaking of boosting your immune system, eating right does just that. Make sure you eat healthy when you get back from your trip; it’ll help you feel more energetic, and it will also help you adjust to your home time zone if you go back to eating at your normal times right away.
Get caught up with friends and family
Sort of like the stuff in your suitcase, if you haven’t been online during your trip, messages should be taken care of right away so you don’t fall behind.
If you ignored your emails, use a triage system to get through them: Delete or mark as read anything that doesn’t look important, like emails from companies. From what’s left, answer anything that’s super important or super easy to address first, and then save anything that will take a minute to answer for last.
If you have been staying on top of your messages, use this time to catch up with friends and family. Reconnect with the people you missed while you were away, and show them your photos!
Post and submit your pics!
If you didn’t have WiFi or didn’t have time for social media on your trip, now’s the time to share your photos online. Writing fun captions is much easier when the places are fresh in your mind. Plus, you should use whatever method you have of saving files to make sure you don’t lose them.
If you went on an Explorica tour, this is also the perfect time to sort through your photos to find the best ones and submit them to our photo contest.
Decide on which category a photo belongs into, and submit using this form by August 15, 2018 for the chance to win a $300 Amazon gift card. The best part? You can submit however many times you want.
Sometimes the best way to transition back home is to get excited about your next trip. If you’re a teacher and you just got home from a tour, there’s never a better time to plan the next one! Browse our tours.