What are your Day B4 Vacation Rituals?

[gonga]

What do you do the day before vacation? Our vacation always starts the day before. DH goes to work for half a day, I go to the salon for manicure, pedicure and get my hair blown out. DH comes home with a bottle of champagne and we go out for a light dinner to celebrate the start of our vacation. We get home and TRY to sleep...before you know it the limo is out front at 6:00 am. We always do the same thing...I was just wondering if anyone else has pre-vacation rituals?


Its getting close................11 days to go - well 14 till we get to Disney as we are going to Atlantis/Bahamas first. Not really excited about Atlantis (except for the first class flight) but can't wait to get to WDW.

our bags are packed.....vacation paid in full....ready to go.

It took me all of yesterday to pack the luggage. We do carry on's 2 each and it was so time consuming. It is just me or does anyone else find this a time consuming task??

 

[grinningghost]

I usually race around making sure we have everything. We either go out to eat or get takeout, so there aren't dishes to do, and I look at my pets way too much knowing I'm going to be a meanie and leave them the next day. But I get over it.

 

[zakatak]

Oooh, I usually start about 5 days ahead by making a list of things to do each day! BUT... the day before we leave is OFFICIALLY known as DISNEY EVE! We celebrate from when we get up in the morning (mickey pancakes) all the way through until bed (we always watch a Disney movie before we leave... usually The Lion King). Then, kids go to bed, I give myself a Pedicure, finish packing and hit the hay!

I really like the idea of champagne, though... might help me sleep! lol

Oh, and I check my wallet 500 times: tickets, money, etc...

Karen

 

[HM]

Mow the lawn, water the plants, make sure the neighbors know we will be gone, clean out the refrigerator, and pack

-HM

 

[babslittleones]

I am trying to clean house and do laundry all day long. I am then usually up until 3 or 4 in the morning finishing all the packing and last minute things.

 

[mom_rules]

Go to work-come home-clean like mad-arrange for all the pets to be cared for-PANIC- OMG I leave tonight!! I think I'm gonna be sick.

 

[Star Wars Guy]

I let DW do all the worrying.....I mainly just do what I'm told...when I'm told so as not to disrupt her while she's getting everything ready. Then once she's done, I ask the questions - "Did you pack this? Did you pack that?" This usually gets me "The Look" (and guys you know what I'm talking about).

 

[SleepyatDVC]

It starts a few days before we leave:

1) During the week, do laundry and pack as much as possible.

2) Start working late every night to make sure office is in order before trip. I work in the family business so I really need to make sure I don't leave any loose ends. DH usually takes the kids home first and hopefully they are sleeping when I get home.

3) Clean house as much as we can.

Day before:

Work late (a few times until 2am), go home and finish packing, and nap for the rest of the night.

Day of:

Make sure we didn't forget anything, turn off water, computers, etc., make the beds, run the vacuum cleaner and straighten up the living room (time permitting), head to the airport. I hate coming home to a messy house especially after the nice clean rooms at WDW.

VACATION STARTS after we finish checking in at the airport.

 

[Simba's Mom]

Hey, Star Wars Guy, I think I have this figured out now! DH does exactly the same thing-lets me do all the worrying. Since he's also from Illinois, is it an Illinois thing? Then again, I bet not-I'll bet there are other DHs out there who've gotten that same "look"!

 

[CamColt]

I do the ironing and final packing, give myself a manicure & pedicure, and make sure the house is spotless. I cant stand the thought of coming home to a messy house.

 

[hipporina]

I know it sounds silly, but I bake cookies. When I was a kid my family always took road trips and my mom would bake dozens of cookies to take with us. We would always have a handy snack that way. Now that I'm the mom, I get to do the baking! I've already started freezing cookie dough for our trip to make those last few days easier. It just isn't vacation without a tub full of cookies!

Oh, yeah, and I pack. Minor detail.

 

[Bill From PA]

A pizza, wings and brew party for all hands at a local sports bar. We started this three trips ago and it's a great way to get into the vacation spirit, and to get used to shoveling twenties out of my wallet.

Bill From PA

 

[gonga]

No I'm convinced it's a testosterone thing, doesn't matter where you live! I pack for the both of us, make sure all the money goes into our account for our vacation and our bills, since we have on-line payments that automatically come out of our account while we are away. I make all the arrangements, planning, airlines, hotels, dinner reservations etc, even the seats on the plane. I Make sure we have everything we need from bandaids to evian spray - I think my DH is more high maintenance than I am. All this stuff is packed into 4 carry ons. I make sure all clothes are well matched, cleaned and pressed. I do the shopping for travel size of our favorite products, not an easy task. And make sure DH has his summer underwear packed (no I'm not kidding, he has to have his favorite Ralph lauren mesh underwear!) He also likes to ahve his favorite stretch limo and his favorite driver to pick us up at our home, so I have to call the limo co in advance to reserve these things. All the small and large details are done by me, and completed the week before we go. I even lay out his travelling clothes the night before so all he has to do is the 3 S's and jump into his clothes. I carry all the money wallets passports and documents. I have all this completed a week before we go so I can have time to clean the house, do some marketing so we come home and ther are coffee beans and take care of myself and get hair cut, colored and get some pampering for myself.

This is what DH does: The night before he brings the bags to the front door, goes to sleep, wakes up showers and dresses in the clothes I laid out for him and gets in the limo. While we are on vacation, he will always ask me - what should I wear? Does this match??wheres my wallett? OMG!!!

Next life I want to be a man!

 

[BethC1952]

No I'm convinced it's a testosterone thing, doesn't matter where you live!

It's definitely a testosterone thing! All my DH and DS want to know is what day the limo's picking us up to go the airport! They both know better than to ask their wives about what's packed and what's not. We've never forgotten anything of any importance.

As for what we do the day before? I do nothing except remind the limo driver to be there early. It's all done by then...the packing, the cleaning, the worrying, the preparing. That's my day to relax.

For our trip this December DH and DS will both have to work all day on the day before we leave (I will already have been on vacation for two weeks), so DIL and GD and I will have "girls day". Maybe lunch out somewhere, a quick visit to the Disney Store for one "last minute fix", and home for an early night because we have an early flight.

On "departure morning" I count the suitcases as they go into the limo (what good would all the packing be if we forgot the suitcase?), count the people (OMG, we forgot to bring Daddy!!!), grab my purse (which will have all tickets, money, documents and passports already in an envelope inside), lock the house and leave real life behind for two weeks.

Beth

 

[Zippa D Doodah]

I guess we all prepare for a WDW trip differently. DW almost always takes the lead in packing for trips. I learned a long time ago that I get in less trouble if I just leave the suitcases alone until its time to lug them. IF I try to help pack I get "the look". (It seems that I don't know how to fold quite as neatly as -ahem -other adults in the family)
In the past I have taken our two kids out to play and run last minute errands as a means of keeping them out of DW's way. Unfortunately, for this next trip we are leaving on Monday morning, and I am off to a weeklong confernce until Sunday evening. Afraid i won't be as much help as I would like to be.

 

[mom_rules]

I so totally agree-DH and DS(15) are exactly the same way---Come to think of it so is DD(18). What's up with that?

 

[Pat_Elliott]

I'm so anal about the whole thing, I make DW pack the week BEFORE Disney Eve. I spend most of the week walking around with rabbit-eared, torn lists ripping through suitcases and double-checking.

But I have the definitive Pre-Disney ritual. I'm a private consultant and work with many clients, some of whom are, how shall you say, problem children? I always, always save the worst for absolute last. Come around 4 o'clock Disney Eve, I pull out that client's folder and call them, and deal with it. My theory, it's always darkest before the dawn. So I face the darkness, then head into the light. Amazingly, I then go in search of wings and brew, usually resulting in DW driving to the airport the next day. Don't suppose Bill from PA has an event going on the evening of June 4? I'd kind of like to help you get used to throwing 20 dollar bills down.....I'll be throwing down enough the following week and I've yet to get used to it...

 

[Bill From PA]

Pat_Elliott,

Actually on June 4 I'll be in Reading, Pa. for a week of programming classes in a language called LANSA which runs on our IBM iSeries box. If you look closely at the pic from the Rose & Crown you'll see a twenty in my left fist, cargo pocket unbuttoned so as not to hamper the quick-draw a father has to master, but you'll be learning all about that soon enough, won't you!?

Bill From PA

 

[Kimickey]

I love the Disney Eve saying, you guys don't mind if I borrow it for my family to use, do you?

Since we always plan and leave on a Sat or Sun our vacation starts the moment the doors at work slam us in the back Friday morning and evening (DH works overnights). We then call each other and other family members who travel with us once we walk out the door and annouce "I am offically on vacation, don't ask me to do jack"!

Our family does absolutely nothing the day before we leave. Since we are packed a week before and the house is cleaned spotless, DH and I have decided that the day before we leave for WDW will be a total relaxing day to get our vacation started off right. We normally order take out, I give myself a home pedicure, we watch movies with DD and just enjoy each others company.

 

[perpetualplanner]

The testosterone thing is alive and kicking in my house too. My two DS's gave me a "look" when I just asked them to make sure their shorts fit so I'd have time to buy new ones if necessary - as a matter of fact so did DH. Then I get a look from DH about my "PILE" of stuff that I that needs to be taken. However, I guarantee that none of them would have a single matching outfit if left to their own devices.

Our last day usually centers around me watching the clock to make sure everyone is getting home when they're supposed to so we can leave on time and scrambling to get the last minute "forgotten, must haves" into the suitcases.

9 more days and boy is the PILE growing!!!