It's Vacation Time, Baby! My Travel Checklist

First, I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and are still celebrating with your family and friends. I don't know that we have any set-in-stone plans for today; will probably just visit as the kids play with their Christmas presents.

As I leave for Orlando in just a few days (!!!), it's time for that pre-trip ritual, the "Holy crap, I am leaving in a few days and here's what I have to get done" vacation checklist.

It's truly a time-honored tradition, one where I run around like a banshee in the days and hours before my trip, trying to do the things that inexplicably I put off doing in the weeks beforehand. Because pre-preparation and relaxed packing is for suckers.

* I am going to lay out the clothes I want to take, and then edit from there. Once again, I'm going to pack in just a carry on and a backpack (for the post that started me on the road to "Carry On Only", here is that post!). We're going to stay at Saratoga Springs for a few days, and then head over to the cruise on January 2nd. We'll have laundry in our villa at Saratoga, so I can do laundry and there's no need to pack 1/2 my wardrobe.

* I'll find, and assemble, my cruise "extras". I have magnets for our stateroom door, and my Fish Extender as I am participating in the FE again for this cruise. We are also doing a Secret Santa, but I am picking up that gift at Disney so no need to pack that. Phew.

* One of these trips, I am going to come up with a "master list" of things I always bring every trip, so I don't have to try and recreate the list each time. We'll see, maybe this will be the time. Or I'll just wing it, like I always have. (It's important to have goals.)

* I like my house to be mostly clean and put together before I go out of town, so in the next few post-Christmas days I'll tidy up and get the house in decent shape. However, I am not going to tackle taking down decorations until AFTER I get back.

* I am going to take some time to write blog posts for 2015 and take and edit LOTS of pictures while on this trip (yes, it's vacation but this work IS relaxing for me), so I want to make sure and bring my nice camera. And the lenses. You laugh - but this fall I went to the Disney Archives exhibit in Chicago, took that fancy camera with me - - and forgot to put on a lens. Rookie mistake.

How do you get ready for vacation? What are your rituals, traditions, etc?

Have a great Saturday!