10 Things to do Before Going on Vacation

Finally, you’re leaving town on vacation. It never changes, you still get excited. And when you’re excited it’s easy to forget things. So here’s a little checklist of things to do before you travel. And many of them are great tips for experienced as well as first-time travelers alike. Most of these tips will also help you relax and enjoy your vacation. Plan your return before you go on vacation, it will also make coming back home better too.

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10 Things to do Before You Go on Vacation
So You Can Relax While You’re Gone

 

 

I love to travel and it’s never fun to leave the all-inclusive resort or the warmth of family or friends. There are a few things I always do BEFORE I leave for any trip. These tips make coming home a little bit easier.

 

1. Make Your Bed

 

Before going on vacation, I always make my bed. If I don’t have time to do anything else, I do this. No one wants to come back to an unmade bed. I won’t be able to hop into cool, crisp sheets similar to the ones I had on vacation. I don’t want to make my bed after a long flight. And while you’re at it, go ahead and straighten up your house too.

 

 

2. Take out the Trash

 

This is often forgotten by even the most experienced travelers. But you don’t want to come back to a stinky house. Do put in the bin, but don’t put it on the curb unless someone can put it back again. The last thing you want to do is to advertise you’re not home. And on that note.

 

 

3. Put Those Clothes Away

 

If you are like me, you went through your closet with reckless abandon before deciding on what you wanted to pack. don’t leave them scattered all over the house or on the floor of your closet. You’ll have some laundry to do when you return. So make sure you have laundry detergent, bleach, and dryer sheets. And if you are going right back to work, go ahead and make sure you have an outfit ready to wear first thing in the morning too.

 

4. Clean out Your Fridge

 

Just the milk, old takeout, fruit, and vegetables that will spoil in your absence. What we eat that day really depends on when we get back. If we get back late, we’ll grab something on the way home. But if we get back early or we ate a lot of fast food, I like to make something easy and yummy from the fridge.

 

 

5. Plan for Your Return

 

Make a plan. so you can stay in the moment on vacation. Come back on a Saturday instead of Sunday so you can have a little time to decompress before returning to the grindstone. And for heaven’s sake, don’t schedule anything for your return date. Block that time off, so you can ease back into the routines of daily life. One of the easiest ways to do that keeps the “out of office” on for a catch-up day at work.

 

 

6. Check-in 

 

Check-in with family and friends. Let them know you are leaving on time so someone knows you are gone. These are the ones you emailed a copy of your itinerary to as well. They can also feed your cat, water your plants, or take your trash bin back into the garage. You may want to give a neighbor a key in case of an emergency or to grab your newspapers. If you are leaving for an extended amount of time, it might be better to put a hold on your mail.

 

 

7. Call the Bank

 

Let them know you are traveling so they can change the algorithm used to detect credit card and identity fraud. It doesn’t always work, but it’s better than having the ATM eat your debit card in Bali at 1 am in the morning. Trust me, there is nothing you can do right away when that happens. Luckily banks issue separate numbers to multiple account holders now and I had no problem withdrawing money for the rest of the trip.

 

 

8. Pay Your Bills

 

Make sure you have your bills taken care of while you’re gone, you don’t want any surprises when you return home from vacation. Nowadays it’s so easy to automate your payments so you won’t miss a payment or come home to a bunch of late fees.

 

 

9. Don’t Waste Your Money

 

Play it safe and unplug your electronics. It makes sense, but if you leave things plugged in, you will pay more for electricity. Don’t pay for the electricity you aren’t using. So before you go on vacation, unplug your stuff and guard against electrical surges during a storm or power outages. In addition, program your thermostat for away temperature.

 

 

10. Double-Check 

 

Check the date, weather, flight information, and carry-on again. Because it can change, that’s why. You don’t want to sit in the airport terminal an extra three hours if you don’t have too. Double-check you have all your documents. And make sure you’ve packed what you need and not much else. I like to grab everything and stand in front of the mirror. Do I look comfortable? Can I carry all this and run if I have too?

If the answer is no, rethink a few things and repeat until done. Bon, voyage!