The Pre-Trip Ritual: Smores, Lists, and the Last-Minute Rush
Every year, like clockwork, it happens.
One moment we’re talking about the summer trip in vague terms — “Should we stay in Pennsylvania or head south this time?” — and the next thing I know, there’s a Google Sheet with five tabs, Ariel is pacing in front of the door like a TSA agent, and Michaela has quietly amassed 10 pounds of art supplies and two unread books in a backpack – and NOTHING ELSE – while she insists she’s “already packed.”
It’s not a graceful transition. It’s more of a chaotic sprint.
But it’s ours.
And nothing marks the real beginning of the trip quite like the pre-trip ritual:
Lists. Closing up the house for months. A quick declutter-and-donate. And a whole lot of “wait, where did we put the wine opener?” (Priorities.)
The First Smores of the Season (and Why They Matter)
One thing that’s always on our list? Buying a bag of marshmallows. The moment we light the campfire at our first local stop — that’s when the trip feels real. On our last 8-month RV trip, some bad weather kept us from getting that fire going until about 2 months in – I kind of think that was why we had so much trouble traveling up until that point!
Michaela’s a marshmallow-roasting expert. I try (and fail) to get mine golden. Ariel patrols the camp ring like a little furry general, waiting for someone to drop a graham cracker – or bullying one of us into sharing.
It’s not polished. It’s very sticky. And it’s perfect.
The Lists — and the Other Lists — and the List of Lists
I love a list. I have lists of lists. I have a packing spreadsheet that’s been evolving since 2011 (I think) and now includes conditional formatting and built-in reminders. I am not ashamed. I might be Type-A – who can be sure?
This is how I cope with leaving home for weeks at a time in a tiny tow-behind RV:
- Our itinerary list
- Master packing list
- “Stuff we forgot last year” list
- “Things to restock once we’ve already left but realize we need” list
- A literal list labeled “last-minute chaos zone”
Meanwhile, Michaela’s approach is what I call “selective chaos.” She knows what she wants — it’s just often not in a bag yet. Somehow, it always works out.
And then I make sure that, while she remembered to pack books, movies, and art supplies, that she ALSO packed clothes and any summer schoolwork she has to do.
Ariel packs nothing and still has more than both of us. This is unsurprising.
The Last-Minute Rush (That Always Happens Anyway)
No matter how early I start packing, no matter how many lists I make, we still end up with:
- One Target run at 9:42 p.m.
- Someone sitting on a suitcase to close it
- Me Googling whether the campground has laundry
- Michaela yelling, “WHERE ARE MY SHOES” while wearing them
- The two of us hurriedly cramming things into the RV cabinets at the last minute, destroying the beautiful and carefully stacked arrangement of pots I’d done earlier
There’s also the inevitable moment where I pack the wine opener a day too early and then realize I still need it. Chaos.
But it’s our chaos. And the moment we finally close the RV door, check the mirrors, and hear the first little rattle of stuff we forgot to secure? That’s when I feel it: the adventure starting.
Maybe your pre-trip ritual is cleaner than ours. Maybe it’s messier. Maybe it involves a cat who refuses to get in the carrier or a toddler who insists on bringing every rock they’ve ever found.
Whatever it is — it matters.
