If I want to feel well-rested after some time away, I must unpack my things as soon as I get home.
I empty my entire suitcase, throw laundry in the hamper, return to clothes and shoes and bags and toiletries and passports and outlet adapters and all the other odds and ends travel requires to their assigned homes, and put my suitcase back in deep storage. I do all of this immediately, not just the day I get back but the moment I walk through the door.
And I encourage you to do the same. I can practically hear the protests and groans at this suggestion, and truly, I get it. Travel can be tiring, and gearing up for the return to work can be daunting. It’s so very tempting to leave a suitcase untouched in a dump zone after returning home, opting instead to relax in front of the TV, or to respond to all of those work emails you’ve been neglecting.
That said, lingering luggage is a form of what Dana K. White calls procrasticlutter. It can cause a tiny sting of stress every time you see it, or stub your toe on it, or search for your contact solution or your phone charger or whatever other object is still zipped inside. And it can attract more clutter to that space, because clean areas tend to stay clean and messy areas tend to get even messier.
Unpacking typically takes me about 15 minutes. (Admittedly, I have fewer belongings and zero children, so your results may vary.)
Unpacking is just physically demanding enough that I feel better after a long, cramped trip in a plane, train, or car. Unpacking is just mindless enough that tasks and reminders I’ve ignored while away resurface in my brain as I go, allowing me to jot them down and move on knowing I won’t forget something important.
Once I’m unpacked, I can get the mail, water the plants, cook a healthy meal (cough cough frozen pizza), start a load of laundry, etc. And then I can collapse onto the couch with relief and satisfaction.
I feel more at ease in on-ramping for the week ahead because the act of unpacking has let my mind transition from vacation-mode to typical-routine mode. I feel better about being home because my home feels organized and restful rather than disorderly and stressful.
So, Bon Voyage!! AND Bon de Revenir!!