Which is harder: Getting ready for a vacation or returning home afterwards?

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by Ruth Woodhouse

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For me, getting ready for a vacation is always the most difficult and involved process. When it's time to come home, you just pack everything back into your cases, bags and car and head for home. You know exactly what you're taking home - everything you brought. You know it should all fit because it did when you came. You might have bought a few things while you were on holiday - but unless it's something enormous, you should still be able to squeeze it all in okay. I can tell you, I'm very experienced at squeezing extra things into bags and the car. It's really very straightforward. You pack up and you go home.

That's all there is to it. You might be sorry your vacation is over and not particularly looking forward to returning to work, etc - but, if you're like me, there will be at least a part of you that will be looking forward to getting home where you belong. I do always find that the trip home is rather tiresome as there isn't the same excitement as when you're heading off on your vacation. But this issue doesn't actually make it difficult logistically.

When you are getting ready to go on a vacation there is so much preparation and organization to be done before you can head off. Most of us can't just pack a bag and then up and leave our home. Of course it may be a whole lot easier for young people who are leaving family members behind to continue life as normal, and who don't have any major responsibilities. But, for those of us who are leaving our homes unattended, and are responsible for many things besides ourselves, it's much more complex.

Of course some tasks need to be done well ahead of time. One big thing for many of us is saving enough money to pay for a vacation. Unless you're lucky enough to win a holiday, even the most basic vacation will involve some scrimping and saving to make it possible. You need to work out how much money you're going to need to cover such things as air fares, other tickets, petrol, accommodation, meals while you're away, entertainment, activities, entry fees to tourist attractions, etc.

Of course,if you are working for an employer, you have to apply for the time off work or else there's not much point in making any other plans.

If you are traveling by plane, ferry, bus or train, you need to book and pay for tickets. You will also need to book accommodation and at least pay a deposit on it. You may need to make various other holiday plans as well.

One thing you have to organize as much as a week or more ahead of time is what will happen with your mail while you're away. You might need to make arrangements for it to be held at the postal centre - which involves going to the Post Office, filling in a form and paying a fee. There is usually a requirement that you do this a certain time before you are actually going away.

You might need to see a neighbour or friend to arrange for them to keep an eye on your home. You need to ask them to collect junk mail from your letterbox. Otherwise it will be glaringly obvious there's nobody home when catalogues are stuffed in tightly and overflowing onto the ground. You also need to ask them to put your rubbish bins out and bring them in again that week, and maybe to water your garden, etc.

If you have pets you need to make arrangements for their care. If you can't take your dog with you, it may be necessary to book it in to a boarding kennels - or else find a friend to look after it. Your pet cat will need to be booked into a cattery, or again somebody will have to be found to care for it. Birds, goldfish, bunnies, guinea pigs, etc will need somebody to come regularly and give them food and fresh water or have them at their place while you're away.

You need to make sure bills are paid before you go and that other business is attended to. You might need to cancel such things as newspaper deliveries for the time you will be away. There may be several people you need to inform that you'll be away for a week or two or more.

In the few days before you go away - particularly if it's a reasonably long vacation - you will need to be gradually packing everything you're going to be taking, and ensure it's all together, so that nothing gets left behind accidentally. You need to make lists of everything you will require while you're away - otherwise, if you're like me, you will feel so disorganized and anxious that you'll forget something (and without lists you almost certainly will miss something important).

You might have to go out and buy things specially that you'll be needing on your vacation - for example, sunscreen, batteries for your camera, a road map, travel sickness tablets, something to read while you're away, or any number of other things, depending on where you're going and what you require.

You need to make sure your car has a full petrol/gas tank and is in good mechanical condition. It may even be necessary, or at least advisable to have it serviced and tuned before you go, and possibly even have new tyres fitted if they're getting a bit worn.

If you're taking your own caravan or are staying in a holiday unit, you will very likely want to get food supplies to take with you. If you have regular medications you must take, you will probably want to make sure you have enough prescriptions filled so that you won't have to get more while you're away.

If you don't want to come home to a messy house, you may want to do a fair bit of cleaning and tidying before you leave. I always used to do that before we had kids. It's proven to be too much in recent years - but it certainly used to be nice to come home to a relatively clean, tidy house - and I was always amazed for many years how it still seemed to have that new smell when we came home.

You might need to mow your lawn before you go away too if you're going on a long vacation, depending on what season it is. If it's spring, when the lawn needs mowing much more frequently, you could need to ask somebody to come and mow it for you while you're away.

If you're traveling by plane, bus or train, it may be necessary for you to book a taxi or arrange for somebody you know to take you to the airport, bus depot or railway station on the day you leave - and then to pick you up again after your holiday.

On the day you leave, you have the big job of packing everything into the car, making certain it all fits and is safe and sound - and ensuring nothing is left behind. Even if you are very well organized, it can be all too easy to accidentally leave something behind when you have a house full of your own things. When you're coming home it's altogether different because it's obvious enough what belongs to you - and that all has to be taken back to where it belongs.

So you need to be ticking things off your list to make sure it all goes in the car. At the same time, you need to have another list of things you must attend to before leaving the house. I always have a list with such things on it as "check all the windows are locked", "check power points are off" (of course there will be some exceptions such as the fridge/freezer), "check all taps are turned off properly"), "lock all doors"; "set up security timer" (for a light to come on at night), "empty kitchen tidy", "tip out any leftover milk and throw out other perishables in the fridge" (unless taking with you), etc.

I'm always surprised at how easily some families seem to just up and go away for a weekend. For me even just a weekend trip involves a fair bit of organization (and having pet dogs certainly makes such things more complicated in many cases).

As for going on longer vacations, that has been even more stressful in recent years. I am always so relieved once we are on the road and it's only then that I can really start to relax and feel excited about the vacation. I wish it could be easier - but that's life! Most things that are worth doing involve some planning, organization and effort.

When we had our little disabled daughter it was even so much more complicated to go anywhere at all - even just on an outing for a few hours. I sure do wish we could have had more vacations with her - though we did have a few, which have provided us with some beautiful memories to cherish.

I've always said though that one of the best things about going on holiday is coming home again - no matter how much fun you've had on your vacation. There's no place like home - and you need to go away now and then to fully appreciate that.

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