Soft Luxe Reset: What to Do After a Trip – 2 Things I Always Do, 3 I Don’t

Travel days are fun, but they’re also exhausting. (I just got back from one.) Long drives, shopping stops, family bonding, traffic, and the mental load of keeping everyone and everything together can leave me running on pure adrenaline. This year, I found myself travelling more for my blogs. It's only the first week of October and we've already travelled twice, covering one city and 3 provinces. Plus that trip to Taal, Batangas on the last week of September. We will go out of town again sometime this week. With this frequent travelling, I’ve taught myself a simple Soft Luxe Reset routine that helps me shift from travel mode to rest mode without burning out.

Here’s what I do the moment I get home — and the things I’ve learned to stop myself from doing.

🌸 The 2 Things I Always Do

1. Unpack Immediately

These are some of the things that we got from today's 3-province trip

Before I even sit down, I immediately put away the things we bought or unpack our luggage. I'm riding the adrenaline here. I know that once I sit down, the fatigue will catch up and I will procrastinate.

I’ve also found that clearing the space signals my body that it’s safe to relax. It’s like telling my brain, “The trip is over. You’re home now.”

Check out how I unpack for three people in 30 minutes — it’s my favorite travel hack!

2. Wash My Face

First, I wipe off everything that's waterproof with this.

After a trip, I feel like all the dirt, stress, and fatigue of the road accumulate on my skin. Washing my face is my non-negotiable. It’s my way of rinsing off not just makeup or dust, but the tension of the day. This one small act instantly shifts me into “rest mode.” My body just seems to relax instantly once I wash my face.

Then I wash the rest off with this

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🌸 The 3 Things I Don’t Do (and What I Do Instead)

1. Start a New Load of Laundry
It’s tempting to “get it out of the way,” especially when we've come from a 3-day trip, but I know for sure that the fatigue would have set in when the laundry finishes and forcing myself to hang wet clothes when the fatigue hits just makes me more tired and grumpy. I tell myself out loud, "The laundry can wait until tomorrow. Your body cannot."

2. Get Dry Clothes from the Line and Fold Them

Since I’ll be doing laundry tomorrow, my next temptation is the clothesline. I stop myself from clearing the clothesline and folding the clothes. That, too, can wait. This small choice keeps my fatigue bottle from overflowing.

3. Cook a Full Meal (Unless I really, really want to because I'm craving something)

Like this one time when I was craving Korean food.

I try to give my family the healthiest meals possible, so sometimes I feel guilty when we have to order takeaway or cook something instant (Hello Shin Ramyun!). But on nights like these, I give myself grace. If I still have the strength and truly want to cook, I do. Otherwise, a bucket of good old Colonel Sanders’ chicken or some burgers from Ronald will do just fine.

🌸 What I Do Instead

I change into my comfy house clothes, sit or lie down in bed hugging my favorite plushies, and watch something light. I avoid socials. Sometimes, if I have the bandwidth, I take out my curated purchases and admire them — thinking of possible outfit combinations or makeup looks. This last one is technically for work, but it’s also something I truly enjoy doing.

I love admiring my curated purchases

Once I’m relaxed, we have dinner, I take a shower, and I turn in early. (Travel days usually mean I only get 4–5 hours of sleep, and I’m a night owl, so this is my way of resetting my rhythm.)

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🌸 Glow Girl Takeaway

This Soft Luxe Reset is my way of being kind to myself while still keeping my home and family in order. To my fellow Glow Girls: it’s okay to leave the laundry for tomorrow, order food once in a while, and prioritize your rest. A rested you is a glowing you.

How about you? What’s in your post-trip reset routine? Share it with me in the comments or tag me on Insta — I’d love to see your own Soft Luxe Reset.

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