Adele Lapointe: Essential Travel Organization Strategies

“Clutter is not just the stuff on your floor – it’s anything that stands between you and the life you want to be living.” ~ Peter Walsh, Professional Organizer

Guest Introduction: 

Welcome to Exploring the Seasons of Life: Travel Edition. I’m Cindy MacMillan, your host and the owner of Pangea World Travel Agency, a boutique agency located on the Space Coast of Florida.

Today, we’re diving into the art of organization with a professional organizer. If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed trying to get your home or office in order before a trip, you’re in the right place. This episode is all about simple, realistic steps to streamline your packing, manage travel documents, and tackle those ever-growing pre-trip to-do lists. From personal essentials to business priorities, you’ll come away with actionable tips to help you feel prepared, focused, and stress-free for your next journey.

I’m delighted to introduce Adele LaPointe, whose thoughtful approach to organization transforms even the most daunting tasks into achievable goals. Let’s dive in!

Adele is a  Professional Organizer and Author. Her business Chaos to Clarity has been teaching overwhelmed people to create organized systems that help them see clarity in their lives for 20 years.

Adele is still very passionate about helping people because she has personally seen how being organized can be life-changing.  She likes to share that she was her first client.  Having gone through many different challenges she knows how life’s situations can create chaos in our lives.  With experience, creativity and a non-judgmental approach Adele loves the challenge of creating systems and environments that work for her clients in their homes and offices.

In Adele’s book, Get Organized for Life 7 Steps to Take You From Chaos to C.L.A.R.I.T.Y, she teaches her process on how she assesses her clients' situations and comes up with effective solutions. 

Here’s a glimpse of our conversation: 

Welcome to the podcast Adele.

2:48 I like lists because they help clear my mind—they're a simple way to "dump" everything onto paper (or a device). I don’t know about you, but when I have things to do, my mind keeps running in circles. Did I remember everything? Did I forget something? That’s why having a list is so helpful. Once it's written down, it's out of your head, and all you have to do is refer back to it.

A list can take any form—a note on your phone, a voice memo, a sticky note, or even a scrap of paper. Whatever works best for you to stay organized and at ease.

3:25 Before you go on a trip, one of the best things you can do is create a designated space for everything you’ll need. I’ve helped many clients who feel overwhelmed, saying, "I need to go on a trip, but I don’t know where to start, and I’m too busy."

My advice? Choose one spot—whether it’s an open suitcase, a spare room, a couch, or a chair—and make it your travel prep area. As you go about your routine, start placing everything you’ll need for your trip there.

For example, do your laundry a week or two before you leave. Pick out the clothes you want to bring, make sure they’re clean and folded, and place them in your designated spot. This simple habit keeps you organized and reduces last-minute stress.

9:16 I always suggest to my clients that if there are certain travel essentials—like your favorite neck pillow, special headphones, or anything else you love to have on a flight—pack them in advance.

Keep these items in a small bag or container inside your suitcase. That way, when you open your suitcase, everything is already together, ready to go. You won’t have to scramble at the last minute or repurchase something at the airport just because you forgot where you put it.

13:18 I hear this a lot in home organization, though it applies just as well to travel. How many times do we say, "I’ll take care of that when I get back," or "I’ll deal with it once I move?"

If you find yourself thinking, "I’m too busy; I’ll just do it later," try to pause and ask, "Can I take a few minutes to do this now?" Taking care of small tasks before you leave means you’ll come home to less stress and a smoother transition back into daily life.

18:52 Organization is really just about keeping similar things together.

Even in a hotel room, I like the idea of having a designated technology area—one spot where everyone plugs in their phones, laptops, and other electronics. This helps avoid the common scenario where you charge your phone next to the bed, grab it in the morning, and go about your day—only to realize later that you left behind a charger or another device.

Creating a central charging station keeps everything in one place and makes it easier to pack up when it’s time to leave.

You can find Adele Lapointe at:

Website | Instagram | Facebook

Thank you so much for tuning into Exploring the Seasons of Life: Travel Edition. I’m Cindy MacMillan, and you can always find me at PangeaWorldTravelAgency.com. If you found this episode helpful—or if it sparked some curiosity—I would love for you to hit that subscribe button. That way, you’ll never miss a new episode, and we can keep exploring these life-changing journeys together.

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Until next time, keep exploring, stay curious, and take care.