I did not finish editing photos and documenting my trip to France last month, so all that information will be on my next blog in a couple of weeks. You will get all the detail of my trip soon!
The following tips will hopefully be helpful and give you food for thought when you arrive home from any trip you go on.
TIP 1: TAKE TIME TO DOCUMENT YOUR TRIP
Document your trip asap.
I found taking photos of signs of restaurants, towns, and museums to be very helpful when sorting out what photos went where. I also took photos of info in museums that I did not have the time to read when I was at the museum.
It is so easy to leave your photos on your phone and not do anything with them and not document what happened.
You may have spent a lot of money on your trip, so you want to preserve all those memories.
As soon as you arrive home, begin to edit your photos – deleting duplicates or ones you realize you should never have taken.
Pare down those photos; keeping only the best of the best. Be sure to tell the story behind your photos.
I found it helpful to research the places I went to after I got home. I even watched some movies with my husband about France, Paris, and the Normandy invasion during WW II.
I used the Internet to do that. I plan on making a book out of the photos I took on my recent trip to France. I want to make sure my wonderful memories are well-preserved and sharable!
a sign of a town we visited in France
TIP 2: ALLOW YOURSELF TIME TO READJUST
When you get back from an extended trip, allow yourself some time to relax.
It is what I call “sit and soak”.
Take it all in.
Don’t feel guilty for resting. Traveling can be exhausting.
Cook simple meals.
Avoid saying “yes” to too many activities.
Don’t tackle big projects for a while if you can.
You may have to adjust to your time zone again. Don’t rush it. It will happen
. Take a deep breath and allow yourself some time to re-enter reality and adjust to your day-to-day schedule.
Hopefully, you have a few days cleared on your calendar for this.
I make a list of things I need to do when I return home – it is so easy to forget!
Put that list in a good place so you will be sure to find it. I put mine on a computer Google document.
Me relaxing and listening to music after my trip.
TIP 3: STORE YOUR TRAVEL STUFF IN YOUR EMPTY SUITCASES
Make things easy to find the next time your travel, by putting all your little bags and toiletries and stuff into the bag you will be using on your next trip.
In my case, it will be a small under-seater bag since I will be going on a week-long trip to California to visit relatives.
I won’t be needing much, hence the small bag!
I will be happy when it comes time to pack in September when a lot of the things I need will already be in my bag.
I have different needs for different kinds of trips – I keep my packing lists on my computer on my Google documents.
Me storing what I will need in the bag I will be taking on my next trip.
TIP 4: KEEP UP YOUR MOVEMENT MOMENTUM
Keep up the momentum that you had on the trip – when you did more walking, more stair climbing, etc.
You may have moved a lot more than you were used to.
When you get home – keep up that extra moving.
Don’t let it go!
You want to stay fit for your next trip.
It takes 900 steps to reach the top of Mont Saint Michel! The view was well worth the effort!
TIP 5: APPLY WHAT YOU LEARNED FROM THE PEOPLE AND CULTURE
Hopefully, on your trip to another place, you learned many things about its people and its culture.
Now it is time to apply some of what you have learned and incorporate it into your life.
I learned so much on my trip to France.
I found the people in Paris and other small towns we visited to be very polite, charming, and stylish!
They know how to treat people with respect and kindness.
Having lots of possessions or big houses is not their thing either. Less is more for them!
I plan to learn from them as far as knowing how to relax is concerned.
I want to slow down and savor life more!
I want to eat slower and enjoy every bite as well as the conversation.
I am also taking the time to dress a little more chic, even when I am just going to the grocery store.
It does not take that much effort to have mercy on the people who have to look at you!
We saw lots of French people relaxing in outdoor cafes.