Here are six to-dos for after your next trip.
All good things must come to an end—including trips. Not an easy thing to come to terms with, I know. But the good news is, your next one could be just around the corner. Instead of waiting (impatiently) for it, there are things you can do to relive the best moments from your recent travel while also setting yourself up for better future journeys.
1. Save and review your favorites.
We’ve all been there—you discover an amazing restaurant, hotel, or experience, and then when you want to return to that destination—or give advice to fellow travelers about it—you can’t remember where or what it was. Save your favorites to Google Maps (or whichever app you use) while they are fresh in your mind. Then, when you return or give someone recommendations, you can spend less time tracking down your picks.
While you’re at it, drop a review if you had a good experience. We all know reviews come in handy for our own trip research—why not make someone else’s research a little easier? Plus, the restaurant, host, or guide receiving the review will really appreciate it.
2. Claim your miles.
You took the flight—make sure it counts. Airline miles are one of the easiest ways to cash in on free or discounted flights later. If you were already a loyalty member of the airline that you flew, ensure those miles posted correctly to your member account. Keep in mind: It can take a few days for them to show up.
If you weren’t a member at the time that you took the flight, many airlines will still allow you to retroactively claim your miles. Rules vary from airline to airline, but generally, you can request your miles three to 14 days after your flight, and you have up to 12 months to claim them. Typically you just need your loyalty program number and ticket number from the flight.
3. Check your credit card bill.
Okay, I didn’t say all of these were going to be fun. During the trip, it feels oh-so-easy to swipe your credit card, but getting home, you might not be as excited to check the damage. It’s in your best interest, though, in the event you’ve been charged twice for something or, worse, you find fraudulent activity on your account. Better to get it sorted out sooner than later.
4. Organize your photos.
Ah, the post-trip wasteland that is your photo library. Sure, they’re stunning photos, but what ever happens to them? Immediately after your trip is the best time to take a crack at organizing—edit, post, and delete duplicates. (Because we all could benefit from a little more phone storage.)
You could even print the photos or make a photo book. (There are many services online.) It’ll give you a chance to reminisce about the good memories before jumping back into the swing of things, and every time you look at your printed photos or book, you get to live your trip all over again.
5. Reflect on your trip.
Now that the excitement—and maybe even chaos—of your trip is over, you can reflect on what went right and, just as importantly, what went not-so-right. Make note of the things you wish you had known before you went so you can do research or make changes for future trips.
Perhaps it was a pain to lug around your checked bag, so you’d like to work on packing less and more efficiently next time. You may want to update your packing list with things you wish you had brought and remove things you brought but never used. Maybe your days were so jam-packed you want to leave more room for spontaneity next time. Or perhaps you had an extra-long layover and wound up more bored at the airport than you anticipated; next trip, you could plan to leave the airport and see a whole new city en route to your final destination. Now’s the time to reflect.
6. Plan your next trip.
Everyone likes having something to look forward to. It’s not too early to start dreaming of or planning for your next adventure!
Twist’s Take: Do these six things after a trip and you’ll be better prepared for the next one.
