A guide to help plot out the tasks you need to do before you leave.
Planning a trip can take a lot of preparation but don't forget about the things you need to do at home before you go. Depending on the length of your trip your pre-departure checklist could be quite significant. Most of these tasks are usually last minute and can be easily overlooked in the rush to get out the door to meet a schedule. I'm sure I'm not the only one who has had a moment of panic trying to remember if the iron was unplugged before we left.
For this reason I found it very useful to print up a checklist just to give that moment of satisfaction when you see all the boxes ticked and you know you can leave the house without worry. I thought perhaps I could share it here for others in case it might come in handy. Naturally not everything is applicable, depending on your trip and individual needs are of course going to be different but you can use it as a basis to develop your own. I've got the items collected here if anyone wants to use an actual checklist and you can download it to customize as you see fit.
One Month To Departure
Ok, let's start with the long term preparations. These are things that would include arranging someone to come to your house to water plants, or check on things. Normally I'd be making my inquiries about a month ahead just to make sure that I don't end up getting surprised by finding out my usual "go to person" is going on vacation at the same time. Another important one for many out there is arranging for care for a pet. I don't have that worry but know many who do and while there are numerous options, it is definitely best to ensure you've got that covered well in advance. I have seen my sister in a panic a few times because the "doggie-hotel" she usually uses was already fully booked two weeks before her planned trip. Whatever option you have decided upon, make sure it is done with enough time to make alternate plans in case something goes awry.
Another factor that should be taken care of early is arranging for any Visas that you may need for travel. Obviously this only applies to international travel but you should have already done your homework and know what you need. Sometimes these can be purchased on entry to a country, for example when entering Turkiye at the airport, but many countries will require you to obtain them prior to arrival. Knowing what is needed well in advance will help avoid unnecessary headaches. Piggybacking on my Turkish example; travelers arriving are required to go through the Visa line to purchase their Visa prior to entering the customs line and many a traveler has gone directly to the customs. The officials don't check if you have the Visa before queuing up so after waiting 20+ minutes to make it to the front of the customs line, you will be told by the customs officer that you needed to go to the visa line first and you get to do it all over again. So, it pays to be aware and prepare.
Update: Make sure you know all about the upcoming ETIAS requirement for European travel. Read about it here.
Two Weeks To Departure
Next up is taking care of snowy sidewalks, or overgrown lawns as applicable by season. Granted this one could probably squeak by with no attention for a weeklong trip but there may be instances where you will need to set up help. Not to mention it might be nice to come home from vacation and not have to jump right back in to outdoor maintenance. If you're lucky like me, you'll have a neighborhood full of teens that are willing to pick up a little extra cash. If not you could always look into apps that offer services like that using locals. I know of a couple like Plowz and Mowz, or Mow-it for example but I cannot recommend any as I have never used them. I do know one advantage though is that with some of these types of services you would be able to book someone to take care of the maintenance from the beach during your tropical vacation.
Something else to look into, once again for international travel, is whether you may need an international drivers permit if you plan on renting a car and driving. Personally my state license has been accepted for the countries I have driven in but there are certainly cases where you will need the IDP and it may also be affected by the duration of your stay. These are pretty easy to obtain. In the United States one simply stops by the AAA and you can take care of it in a few minutes, assuming you have a valid license already. To find out more about what the requirements are for a given country follow this link to get up to date information on Visas, Passports, IDP, and travel alerts.
One Week To Departure
One thing to consider as well is to make sure you have sufficient quantities of any prescription(s) that you may be on. Check your supply and top up a week ahead. This is pretty important as you can imagine trying to connect your doctors office with the local farmácia in Lisbon when you run out. They may not even have the prescription drug approved in your destination so it might not be available at all. Best to avoid any issues and go with at least 2 weeks worth surplus in your med kit. Also, find out well in advance what you will need for where you are going for any entry requirements such as Covid tests, masking etc. and make arrangements. I know it is increasingly rare to encounter these but it's wise be prepared.
Laundry, bleah. Oh well, needs to be done. Plan your vacay clothing the week ahead of the trip so you can either set it aside, or plan to have a wash night a couple days before the trip. Might be worth keeping a separate pile/hamper of the ones you want to take so you don't need to sort through it all to find what you want. I like to map out what I intend to wear the week preceding the trip so I can have those outfits segregated and be able to pack everything for my trip without needing to wash anything other than socks and underwear the day before the trip. I usually will start a little bit of packing at this point too, just to get a head start on it all. If I am particularly ambitious I'll do all the laundry a day or two before just so it isn't hanging over my head on my return.
Create and print out a packing list. Feel free to use one of my templates as a starter. Remember to plan clothing accordingly to whether you'll have access to laundry while away. I always try to plan to have access to a laundromat or have a B&B that has the capability for anything longer than a week. One simply doesn't have the space to pack 14 pairs of socks and underwear. Hmm, do I even have 14 pairs of underwear? Does anyone?
I know it might seem odd but I recommend creating a menu for what you'll be eating through the week before departure and purchase groceries accordingly. This is particularly important with respect to perishables. I always try to be leaving the house with a near empty fridge and will toss out or freeze anything I know that won't last.
One Day Before Departure
Oh boy, one day before vacation! Still a few things to do. Log in to USPS and get your mail held. Nothing says "We're on vacation and our house is vacant" like a mailbox overflowing in front of the house. It is super easy and as long as your trip is under 30 days you should have no issues and it is free! Well, unless you are living in Canada, sorry. Not sorry you live in Canada, I love Canada! Just sorry because these guys, Canada Post, are going to charge you a bit over 20 Loonies (dollar coins for those who have no idea what that is) just to get the hold mail service for a couple of weeks. You also may need to provide some documentation to get the process underway so I'd recommend to jump on this a few days ahead just to make sure you can get the hold in place if you're living north of the 52nd parallel.
Some more tasks around the house. Depending on how much time you have the day of departure these are things you'll do either the day before or just as you are leaving. Set timers for any lights, indoor/outdoor, that you want to have operating and adjust your thermostat to reduce heat or AC (I just turn my AC off) so you aren't wasting money keeping the house comfortable for ghosts. If you've got a Smart home, lucky you, skip these steps. If you've not arranged a person to care for any plants, give your green friends a thorough watering. I find mine can survive about 10 days as long as they have been well-watered the day I leave.
Update December 2023: A note about smart devices. Even without a smart home you can still take advantage of the technnology as long as you have WiFi in the house. You can invest in smart bulbs, like these ones, and have a few lamps or overhead lights, running on them. The ones I bought have an app I can use to set a schedule ahead of time or I can just turn them off and on manually from the phone anywhere in the world. Only caveat is that you need to leave the switch on so if you've a bank of lights you'll need to change all of the bulbs out.
Even though I've got pretty much everything on my phone or laptop I still like having paper copies of anything for my itinerary. I find it easier to hand over a copy of my reservation to a local car rental agency etc. so the clerk can just read it and type rather than have us struggle to reach a common language (or worse, force them to hear my pathetic attempt at speaking Finnish). I know there are translation apps and I love them, but sometimes you just want to minimize the conversation and get the job done. Also, who hasn't had that fear that their phone battery dies just as you are about to scan your boarding pass at security?
Finish up that packing. Do the last laundry load to take care of any items you needed to wash. Pack it all up and then out those bags on the bathroom scale to see if they meet the airline's weight limit for a checked bag. If not, redistribute between other bags to try and get the right combinations. If you only have one bag, and your carry on is also at capacity, and you simply cannot do without everything you've packed then at least you'll not be surprised if you have to pay a fee at the airport check in.
Last thing for the night before is make sure everything is charged and ready to go. Phones, tablets, laptops, portable chargers, Bluetooth transmitters, AirPods, etc. Even though charging stations are often readily available it is always best to start the trip off with a full tank.
Departure Day
My last few tasks are as I am herding the family out the door. I unplug all unnecessary electronics :TV's, power bars with computers, lamps, Christmas tree lights. I do this not just to avoid surge damage from any storms but also for safety. I know of an individual whose house burned down after her smart tv caught fire. It wasn't on, but was plugged in on standby. Now this is her version of what happened but even so, there is no reason to keep it all plugged in anyhow, right? Unless it's the WiFi! For goodness sake don't unplug that. At least not if you want to have access to your home security, your smart lights or anything else that you can access remotely. Doing a walkthrough to unplug things also alleviates the fear of worrying if the iron is on.
As last measures check the fridge, freezers and make sure they are closed properly. Verify nothing is on that shouldn't be; oven, stove, barbecue? Then check all doors, windows, and make sure they are locked. I like to leave one or two windows on my upper floor open just a crack in summer to prevent it from getting too stuffy. Then I do a look around for any items that may have been left behind. Like, someone's favorite stuffed animal for example. Crisis averted. On the way out the door, empty the garbages and recycling so you don't come home to a nasty smelling abode.
One Last Check
Finally, in the car, I do a document check. Passports, vaccine cards (yeah, a few places may still require them), Global entry cards, and so forth. I arm my security system with my phone, verify the garage door closes and we are off.
Back Home Again
Welcome home. Hope you had a great trip! Now it's time to log back in to MPW and drop a comment here if you found the post useful. Just kidding, but please do feel free to leave some feedback on the post. Suggestions? Something I missed? Let me know!
Well, I hope you enjoyed the read and got some useful tips.
Happy travels!
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