Whether you’ve planned your trip home from college months in advance or during the wee hours the morning-of, traveling alone can definitely be boring. Here are some tips to make your weekend home easier and more exciting!
1. Pack lightly!
Do not over pack. If you’re traveling alone, you do not want to be carrying a 50-pound suitcase plus two small carry-ons. No matter how you choose to travel (plane, train, car, etc.) you don’t want to be schlepping bags on bags. However, make sure to pack versatile clothing, that way you have a few staple pieces that you can wear repeatedly without anyone noticing.
2. Make sure you’re properly equipped with snacks
Be sure to buy enough non-time-sensitive snacks for your trip. There’s nothing worse than getting stuck for 3+ hours without decent food. Eating kind of helps pass the time if you ask me! Get dry snacks like chips or pretzels so that they don’t go bad!
3. Make a playlist before you leave
Who wants to be stuck on airplane mode and not be able to access their killer Spotify playlist? Make a long playlist in iTunes so that you have enough options no matter what. Don’t put yourself in the position where you have to listen to a small child wailing for hours because you have no music to drown out the sound.
4. Organize all of your transportation ahead of time
Don’t wait until the last minute to schedule a ride home from the airport or train station— there may not always be an UberX close enough to pick you up. Also, your mom will be thrilled that you called her to get you. Let’s face it, she would probably carry you home on her back if it meant seeing you twenty minutes early.
5. Appreciate the little things.
Embrace every minute possible. Do as much from your bed as you possibly can. Seriously, don’t leave your bed for at least a full day. You won’t experience this luxury until the next time you get home, and don’t lie, your twin bed back at college doesn’t even come close to cutting it.
6. Actually enjoy your siblings.
Before college you may have despised every fiber of your siblings’ being, but being away from home, you finally realized how much you missed them. And obviously the house has been totally bummed out since you’ve been gone, so bring some livelihood back into it by being super loud and obnoxious!
With these seemingly routine, simple tips, your trip just got a whole lot easier and more entertaining. Even the best of us glaze over the simplest travel steps when we’ve only have a minute to get somewhere!