Sunday

Clean Travel Tip #5

My daughter Emily got artsy with this shot, taken while horseback riding in Hawaii:



And now back to clean travel...

Previously, in my discussion of the ZONE principle of clean travel, I listed the zones that I most commonly use when I travel, including a KEY ZONE, SECURE ZONE, ELECTRONICS ZONE, FOOD ZONE, BEDSIDE ZONE, MAKEUP ZONE, PAPERS ZONE, SPORTS ZONE, and DIRTY CLOTHES ZONE. What other types of zones might you need to establish? Here are some ideas:

- a TOY ZONE, if you are traveling with kids

- a BABY FEEDING ZONE, if you have bottles, formula, spoons, etc.

- a BABY CHANGING ZONE, for diapers, wipes, baby clothes, etc.

- an ACCESSORIES ZONE if you're a bit of a fashionista and have lots of purses, belts, scarves, etc.

- a GYM ZONE, if you'll be working out daily and want to assemble a small version of your at-home gym bag

- a WEATHER GEAR ZONE, if it's cold outside and you've got lots of gloves, coats, scarves, etc.

- a SHOPPING/SOUVENIR ZONE, if you keep coming to the room with various shopping bags, purchases for home, etc.

- a FREEBIE ZONE, if you're at a conference or event where you are accruing various promotional giveaways.

- a GAME ZONE, if you've brought along a deck of cards, Travel Yahtzee, Gameboys, etc.

You get the idea. When you travel, what categories of items do YOU bring along? Start thinking in terms of ZONES, and your hotel stay will be astonishingly neater than ever before.

Oh yeah, one more thought on that "FREEBIE ZONE", listed above: By keeping these all in one place, you can better make the decision at the end of your stay about what comes home with you and what you'll leave behind. I hope it goes without saying that when all is said and done, most things in this zone should be left behind! Do you really need yet another handy all-in-one ruler/paper clip/Post-It note holder at your house, or 3 more Frisbees with company logos on them? If not, ditch 'em! These things will clutter up your house needlessly, stealing your time and your sanity!

Lecture over, putting soapbox away. Come back soon for more handy clean travel tips.

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