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	Getting Organized To Go

	by Ann Bingley Gallops

Summer is approaching, and that means it’s vacation time! You can be ready to go in spite of all the uncertainties involved –- bad weather, changing airline schedules, lost baggage –- when you have a SYSTEM you can rely on. Here are a few ideas that will put your travel plans on the map.

A HOME FOR THINGS THAT NEED TO TRAVEL WITH YOU

A medium-sized basket on a closet shelf is all you need to hold your ESSENTIALS:

toilet kit (hair brush, tweezers, razor, band aids, etc.)
travel alarm clock
earplugs (that hotel room might be noisy!)
locks for your baggage when it’s not on an airplane
jewelry case
shoe bags
lingerie bags to protect delicate things
electrical converters for outlets in foreign countries
a small hairdryer if the hotel doesn't provide one

MAPS AND DIRECTIONS

Where do you usually travel? Keep together all the INFO you need for the places you travel to most frequently -- road maps, hiking maps, maps of parks and beaches, etc. Store your maps in a handy place. A box on your office shelf might hold U.S. maps, while a second, matching box could hold maps of foreign countries or places you visit less often. Your home for maps is also the perfect place to keep specific DIRECTIONS to the homes of friends and family, or to your favorite restaurants and sight-seeing spots.

MONEY ISSUES

Finally, if you travel abroad, it’s worthwhile to create a home for foreign CURRENCY so you won’t forget to take it next time you go. You might even put it into an envelope and store it along with your foreign maps.

PLANNING YOUR TRIP

Unless it’s a business trip that your office is planning for you, there are a myriad of papers you’ll both need and like to keep track of as you get ready to go. Here’s the easy way to do that. Start by creating a FILE for your trip, labeled with your destination and the date of the trip. This file sits on your desktop so you can toss relevant things into it as they come up –- plane and car reservations, maps, magazine articles, restaurant recommendations, and so on. About a week before departure, you’ll want to check with your airline to make sure your plane is still on the schedule (yes, I mean it). Then when it’s time to go, simply grab the file you’ve made and carry it with you; you can be confident that everything you’ll need is there. Also put an ENVELOPE into the file to keep receipts organized as you go.

LESSENING THE PAIN OF LOST BAGGAGE

It’s getting harder and harder to bring a lot of carry-on luggage onto a plane, so you’ll need to think strategically about how to PACK in case your bag doesn’t make it to your destination. Bags usually do show up eventually, but it’s best to be prepared. Carry a light change of clothes, your toothbrush and other essential toiletries with you onto the plane. Think about what you’d really MISS if your checked luggage went missing, and make sure to carry those things with you. When my baggage got temporarily lost after a trip last year, I found that I was most anxious about the jewelry and phone charger that I’d packed in my suitcase. I’ve been carrying those things in my carry-on bags ever since.

TRIPS YOU’VE TAKEN -– OR DREAM OF TAKING

You’re just back from a fantastic vacation with loads of PAPER –- brochures, articles, walking tour maps, etc. If you created the trip file I described above, fill it up and put it into the Travel section of your file drawer. (If not, now is the time to create that file!) On the other hand, for trips you dream of taking, create a file called “FUTURE Trips”. Fill it with all the enchanting magazine articles you like. One day you’ll notice that you’ve collected a critical mass of material about one particular place. That’s the moment to start planning your next dream trip! Happy Trails!

Ann Bingley Gallops is the Chief Executive Organizer at The Organized Life. With a unique combination of skills – a successful marketing career plus expertise in interior design, color theory and feng shui -- Ann helps clients transform the relationship between their external environments and inner lives. Visit her web site at www.theorganizedlife.net or call her at 646-382-3878.

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