Are you leaving on vacation soon? Are you worried that you’ll forget to do something important? We’ve created a list that will help you feel prepared to leave home and have a wonderful, stress-free holiday!
Six Months Before Leaving on Vacation
- Check to make sure your Passport is valid. Renew as soon as possible if it expired. Also, it’s a good practice to travel with a passport that isn’t expiring within six months of your travel dates. You may want to research if this is a requirement for the places you’re visiting.
- Check to see if you need any Visas for where you are travelling
- Book your time off work.
- Start saving and create a travel budget.
Three Months Before
- Arrange for a housesitter or someone to check on your house.
- Have someone take care of lawn, garden & water plants
- Find someone to care for your pets
One Month Before
- Contact your bank and credit card companies and inform them of your travel dates & destinations.
- Confirm your reservations with a travel agent.
- Purchase Travel Insurance
- Exchange currency
- Figure out how you will get to the airport. Do you need to make a reservation for airport parking?
- Sort out what bills will come due during the month and get them paid.
- Check if you’re going to need to refill any prescriptions.
- Decide what you need or want to pack. Make any purchases.
- Let the kids school and teachers know that they will be leaving on vacation. Ask if they will have any homework.
- Photocopy your passports, bank cards, credit cards, anything you’d like a copy of if it gets lost or stolen. Leave the printouts with a trusted family member or friend. Or store in a password-protected document on your phone, laptop or tablet.
One Week Before
- Print out your travel itinerary and all reservations
- Complete any yard work that you think needs to get done.
- Clean your house & change bedding.
- Catch up on laundry and put away (or into a suitcase!)
- Stock up on pet supplies (food, cat litter, etc.) for your pet sitter
- Let your trusted neighbours know you’ll be leaving on vacation.
- Start packing your bags (or sooner if you’d like!)
Day Before & Day of Your Trip
- Clean out food from fridge & pantry that will spoil
- Wash all dishes & empty dishwasher
- Throw a sliced up lemon with some ice to clean up your garburator
- Water plants
- Empty all garbage cans & take out
- Take out all recycling
- Charge devices
- Check camera for battery charge and room on the memory card
- Download music, movies or books
- Check to see that everyone has packed what they need in their suitcases and carry-on bags.
- Close blinds and curtains
- Unplug small appliances
- Lock up or hide valuables
- Ensure all windows are closed and locked
- Lock all doors
Mom to 3 awesome kids, several pets and married to a big kid who makes me laugh. My goal is to inspire moms like me to find ways to travel and reconnect with their families.
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