Prep & Pack

It’s almost time for our annual ‘Western Tour’, where we pack up what seems like half our house, and head out west to visit our families and enjoy the great outdoors. We’re going to be spending some time on a houseboat with my in-laws, and then on to a backcountry hiking trip with my extended family.
So that means this week is a whirlwind of packing and appointments (need those legs waxed!) and lists to get to the finish line (a.k.a. airport check-in on Saturday). The papers are cancelled, the piles of kids’ clothes are stacking up on the dining room table to be checked against my standard summer packing list that I developed a number of years ago and print out fresh each time (that list is indispensable, but when will my kids be old enough to pack for themselves anyway?) and we’re counting down the days.

And if you’ve been following along, you’ll know that I will definitely be packing my laptop along. It actually makes me less stressed, not more, as I know I can check in on some of my projects back at the office from time to time, so if there are one or two loose ends this week I can’t get to, they can be addressed from afar.

What are your vacation prep tips? I would love to hear them.