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The Organized Life archives
Organizing "To Go"
Dear Subscriber,
It’s holiday time, when many of us are traveling to see loved ones near and far.
I’ve been on the road a lot this year, but in spite of all the uncertainties
involved – bad weather, changing airline schedules, lost baggage -- my system
for being organized before, during, and after a trip has kept me in one piece.
Even if you’re not traveling right now, it’s worthwhile to have a system you can
rely on when you do need to get up and go. Here are a few ideas you might like
to use.
Setting Up Your System
1. Put together a “home” for the things that need to travel with you. In my
last apartment I kept these things in a small traveling trunk, looking wonderful
in my living room. Currently it’s in a basket on a closet shelf. This basket
holds my
o Toilet kit, containing things I always like to have with me (hair brush,
tweezers, razor, band aids, etc.)
o Travel alarm clock
o Earplugs (a godsend in a noisy hotel room)
o Locks for my baggage when it’s not on an airplane
o Jewelry case
o Shoe bags
o Hotel-room shampoos, but only if I both like the brand and it’s easy to pour
from the bottle
o Lingerie bags to protect delicate things
o Electrical converters for outlets in foreign countries
o A small hairdryer
2. Also set up a “home” for maps and directions. Where do you usually travel?
I go to Maine a lot, so I keep all my Maine maps together – road maps, hiking
maps, maps of parks and beaches, etc.
These maps live on a shelf in my office, in a beautiful red box labeled “U.S.
Travel”. Besides maps of Maine, the box contains maps of other U.S. cities and
states, plus written directions to friends’ houses. Maps of foreign places
reside in a matching box on the same shelf.
3. 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 A Trip
You’ve decided to take a 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. (I have friends who are planning a trip to Hawaii right now –
how much fun it will be to have a file called “Hawaii 2006” to look at every day
for a few months as they get ready!) 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.
When the trip actually happens, simply grab the entire file and carry it with
you; you can be confident that everything you’ll need is there. Put an envelope
into the file to keep receipts organized as you go.
Trips You’ve Taken – or Want To Take
You’re just back from a fantastic vacation with loads of paper – brochures,
articles, walking tour maps, etc., etc. If you created the trip file I’ve just
described, fill it up and put it into the Travel section of your file drawer.
(If not, now’s 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 dream trip!
Happy Trails!
Sincerely,
Ann B. Gallops
The Organized Life
P.S. When my baggage got temporarily lost this summer, I found that I was most
anxious about my jewelry and my phone charger (!). I’ve been carrying those
things with me in my carry-on bags ever since.
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ORGANIZING DISCOVERY OF THE MONTH
My favorite toiletry kit comes from LL Bean. It’s water-resistant, has loads of
easy-to-use compartments, and even includes a mirror. It comes in several sizes
and colors and can be monogrammed. I’ve been using it for years.
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Contacting me I’d love to hear from you. Please drop me a line with
comments, questions, or suggestions for future newsletters.
The Organized Life
Ann Bingley Gallops
Ann@theorganizedlife.net
www.theorganizedlife.net
646-382-3878
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Copyright 2005, Ann Bingley Gallops
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