What is your pre-trip Tradition(s)??

[disneyfuntime]

Two weeks before leaving I start to pack, we have a guest room that I use to organize the packing, suit cases on the bed and organize each bedroom then bring clothes in an start packing. I have a list that thinking about it now I should re-write, (lt's a little used) but I don't think I could part with the old list, too many memories and adjustment shown.

I also have my nail appointment on Sat together with a pedicure in the AM, get my hair cut the week before.



We usually depart on a Sunday which means we spend the night before in a hotel and eat dinner at one of our favorite restaurants in San Jose (Original Joe's) great food. Then off to bed to catch a early am flight.

 

[Castillo Mom]

I love this thread! Well, this is our first trip so no traditions yet. Here's my plan so far, but I have a feeling things may not go the way I want, but that's ok, we're going to WDW!

These are day before plans:

1. Will work half day.

2. Get manicure and pedicure. Maybe a massage if time allows. Get my eyebrows done at salon.

3. Have a relaxing dinner out.

4. Come home and watch the Lion King.

5. Check and recheck that everything is packed and that nothing is forgotten. Yeah right!

6. Try to get some sleep.

 

[laurabelle]

We are in the pre-trip mode right now!

All the packing stuff is in my bedroom, hubby says it looks like a depot! We are driving for the second time, used to fly, so different traditions are emerging. On Disney Eve, I make Mickey pancakes for breakfast. I'll do all the girl's nails. We drive about an hour south to visit a friend the night before and to save an hour's driving the next morning. Eat pizza for dinner. Try to get to sleep early (yeah, right). We'll leave about 2-3:00a.m. (probably 2:00!) Lol, my kids also decided to sleep in their clothes to save time! We'll listen to Disney CDs and the kids watch Disney DVDs (including the planning DVD!) on the drive down. It was funny driving down in the dark and seeing other folks in their minivans with the DVD players on, we'd try to guess which Disney movie they were watching. I'm not a coffee drinker, but I drink lots of it on the drive down!

 

[disneybella]

We begin a countdown on our dry-erase board in our kitchen sometime between 30 and 50 days out. We start it when the kids suggest it. We also have a 30 days to Disney party where we either go out to eat or cook something quick and have a cake from our favorite bakery. We have them write '30 days to Disney' on the cake. (the bakery always gets a kick out of this too).

 

[Tarheel Tink]

I have to have a spotless home upon return- trash out, fresh sheets, laundry done, dishes put up, refrigerator cleaned out,etc.
I also freeze meals so the return to drudgery is not too bad. I know I'm not the only one who finds it a bit of a shock to return to the real world and work for a living!

 

[anditoo72]

camcolt- Thanks for the tip about finding it in the Disney catalog, but we are leaving in less than three weeks and I think my hubby is going to kill me if I buy one more pre-souviner. Maybe I will just have to get one while we are down there, that way next time it will be a reminder of this trip- and he can't complain- not to much anyway

 

[CamColt]

LOL, I understand. Good luck finding one.

 

[gjerseygirl]

Originally posted by candykisses
We go to dinner where DH practices pulling his wallet out like a six shooter, dispensing fifties instead of bullitts.

OMG!!! That is soooo funny. My DH does almost the same thing. He takes the money and starts flinging it around the house. He says he's "practicing" for Disney!!

We always take a limo to the Amtrack station (and I have a mimosa in the limo). DD and I will get a pedicure and I'll get a waxing (don't want to waste any time in the room shaving)! This time I'm going to write on the windows of the van with the window chalk "Disney or Bust" and how many days. That will be our "countdown chain".

 

[mmccoy]

We generally take a big driving vacation each year, so our traditions aren't just Disney-oriented, I guess.

My wife stays up practically all night before we leave, baking breakfast goodies. As we drive to our destination the first morning we stop at a state park and have a breakfast picnic. She bakes so much, the goodies usually last a couple of days.

I spend a couple of hours on trip-eve loading up the SUV. Since we're usually packed to the gills I take pride in getting everything in without cramping us too much. Around our family I'm know as "King Packer".

We also start the filming of our trip from the time we get up on the first morning. Its funny to see the different reactions of family members, from "leave me alone so I can go back to sleep in the car" to "how many hours until we get there".

 

[dizneydoc]

About 3 weeks before we leave my DW begins packing, using our guest room for storage. Then about 1 week before we leave everything is packed and ready to go.

However, two days prior to leaving we have to unpack because she thought she forgot something.

The night before we leave, go to my parents house to get an Osteopathic Treatment (like a Chiropractic adjustment) and make sure my parents remember where we hide the key.

We live about a 2 hour drive to the nearest airport, and we try to get on the earliest flight available, so we leave the day prior to flying to WDW and stay in a hotel and eat at an Applebee's and then off to bed.

 

[lasmickey]

Keep all the great posts coming! I love all of your pre-trip "rituals". I'm picking up lots of great tips for our upcoming trip.

 

[tigger334]

Here is my dh and our pre trip traditions-

1. I start packing too early for my dh the weekend before he wants to wait until the night before and we end up arguing b/c he is usually a grump the day or so before we leave. When we are at the airport then he is fine. Anyone else's husband like this?

2. Clean the house. I hate coming home to a dirty house. My house has to look clean and smell clean when I come home.

3. Take the dog to my mom's the night before.

4. Eat whatever I want starting at the airport. It won't end until I am back home, then back on the diet!

I think tho I am going to start new traditions like the countdowns. I think that is great!

I love this thread

 

[Mickey76]

I like to watch Disney movies the week before I go, or at least when my vacation gets closer.


Mickey76

 

[ebhurleys]

We traditionally order pizza in and watch National Lampoon's Vacation. Our last trip, we decided to go on Tuesday and Left Wednesday night after DH got home from work. There wasn't a lot of time to watch tv but we did bring the movie in the van.

 

[pjlla]

For our last trip we started counting at 100 days out. Every Friday evening for that 100 days we had family movie night and watched a Disney movie. That's all I can think of for now. The trip before that was a surprise so we had no "pre-trip" traditions.... had to be very stealthy in my packing!.............P

 

[fairytinkerbell]

i also :

get my haircut the day before
clean my house / neaten it up

 

[DISUNC]

IT'S SAD... BUT I CLEAN MY HOUSE TILL IT'S SPOTLESS......I DON'T WANT THE BURGLARS TO THINK I AM A SLOB!

 

[Kallison]

New sneakers and socks

 

[jennypenny]

We usually drive, and I spend a lot of time baking and cooking/freezing, but this time we're flying so no pre-trip cooking, yeah!

* At 30 days out we start watching a different disney video every day. It's fun to pull out some of the videos we don't watch that often like Robin Hood, Snow White, etc. Plus it helps my younger kids re-learn the characters before we go down.

* I also spend the last month shopping for little things I can pack for the kids as special gifts. I usually get them a few special snacks, I pack Mickey and Pooh cereal, some new coloring books, disney beanies, Pez, stickers, and anything else small and disney-related that I can find. I pack each kid a backpack for the trip, and they get to go through it and see what surprises are packed for each trip.

* Turn in the change jar at commerce bank. Watch old disney vacation videos.

* At 2 days I get out the suitcases and start packing them.

* At 1 day my hubby tells me it's too many suitcases and I start rearranging.

* We also take pictures of the my hubby trying to fit everything into the car (usually takes him an hour). I don't think he likes this tradition.

* We video tape the kids as we're trying to wake them up.

Then we all give the house a big "goodbye" and listen to disney music the whole way.

OMG, I think I hit the 30 day mark on Sunday!
Jenny

 

[Jen D]

1. I start packing too early for my dh the weekend before he wants to wait until the night before and we end up arguing b/c he is usually a grump the day or so before we leave. When we are at the airport then he is fine. Anyone else's husband like this?

My dh is often a crank until we get to our hotel (on any trip, Disney or not) which is kind of a buzzkill for me, but luckily my daughter will get excited with me. Like I said, my dh will usually work a long, long day the day before leaving, and generally the day before spends most of the day acting like the trip is a big imposition on his busy schedule. He gets no sleep. So he's tired and cranky for the early morning flight and airport-- sleeps on the plane, so he is still groggy at the destination, and is still cranky an impatient with the baggage claim, the grocery stop, the check-in red tape. He starts to cheer up when we settle down for our first "true vacation moment", which is generally either entering the hotel room (where he tests the bed by collapsing on it), or, if the room isn't ready, either swimming or settling down for a nice lunch. Only then does he get into vaaction mode.

I don't mean to make my dh sound like a grump-- he's a wonderful guy, but he doesn't quite have the same relationship with leisure I do. He always complains about never getting a break or a vacation but when we actually plan one he can never get excited. I'm kind of jealous of all these family rituals you all have because my dh just isn't into it, or pre-planning. Now that my dd is older, now, she shares it with me.