How to Keep Your Schedule While Traveling

When the time comes for you to travel, you probably want to pack as much in a tight timeframe as possible. Depending on where you go and why you might be visiting a place you just don't get to very often. There's a societal drive to be an overachiever, but that might not be the best way how to keep your schedule while traveling.

Ask for Wake-Up Calls

If you're staying in a hotel, ask the front desk for a courtesy wake-up call. While you will probably schedule an alarm with your smartphone like most other people, a different way of waking up as a second alarm of sorts is more likely to get you out of bed.

Account for Jet Lag

If your travel takes you into other time zones, then you might have to deal with jet lag as you adjust to new clocks. This usually won't matter unless you jump more than two time zones, but it is known to affect people in less. It can mess up young children and babies a lot more than adults. Even staying in the same time zone can mean changes about when the sun rises or sets.

Give Yourself Some Breathing Room

If your travel involves an airport shuttle, leave them some breathing room in your schedule. They might have other passengers they are picking up or dropping off, and you won't be as familiar with traffic patterns in other places as you are in your own home area where you live.

Leave Free Time

Having free time in your travel schedule is crucial for three reasons. First, you need some extra time to account for delays. Second, you want to be able to take advantage of any opportunities that come up along the way. Third, you need some time to unwind instead of just gunning it all the way through.

Know When to Stop Your Day

One of the biggest secrets about knowing how to keep your schedule when traveling is knowing when to call it a day. Many people short themselves on sleep when they might need it most. It's not just about when you should specifically go to bed so much as that subtle moment when you need to mentally unplug from your day. Everyone is different about how much time it takes them to actually fall asleep after they make the decision to do it.

Remember that you are on vacation, so there is really no need to stress yourself more than you need. Take the time you need to plan, but once you are on your trip remember to enjoy the time you have. Whether you are alone or with a loved one, there's nothing that will ruin a trip faster than being overstressed and unprepared.