What To Do Before Going On Vacation
Summertime is here and so is 2021! I feel like people are just dying and ready to get out of their homes and travel ANYWHERE they can, near or far. For the month of July I will be talking All About Organizing for different types of travel. (See what I did there? 😉)
To start off this month in an organized fashion, I’d like to start from the beginning and talk about all of the things you need to do BEFORE you leave your house to go on vacation (besides packing!)
Why should you care about what you do BEFORE you go on vacation? Well, for starters, it will make your life easier when you get back home. There is nothing worse than having a huge to-do list on top of all of the laundry you have to finish since getting back.
I’ve come up with a list of things that should get done in your home before you leave that perhaps you may not have thought about before. These are in no particular order, I just wrote them as I thought of them. It is your choice on how you want to complete or check off these items as you get closer to your trip.
1. Put Your Mail On Hold
You can fill out a form right at the post office or even do it right online. You will definitely want to do this if you usually get a lot of mail and you will be gone for more than two days. This will stop your mailbox from getting full. There is even an option for your mail carrier to deliver all of your mail to you that has accumulated while you were away.
2. Create An Emergency Contact List
You will want to make sure that you have any doctors and family members’ contact information saved in your phone or address book (whichever you prefer).
In addition, you will want to create an emergency contact list for anyone who is maybe watching your house or pet sitting while you are away. Give them the information of where you are traveling and what hotels you will be staying at in case they need to reach you there.
3. Get All Of Your ID’s Ready
You will want to make sure you have all forms of identification ready (and maybe even copies of them as a backup - either hard copies or pictures on your phone. You never know). License, Passport, AAA cards, Insurance Cards, and even car registration and insurance information if you are driving.
4. Get Your Packing List Together
You will want to create a Master Packing List of all items you will need to pack. Including things like clothing, electronics, snacks, and health and beauty products. I originally created THIS LIST when I was thinking about traveling during the holidays, but it will work for whatever time you are going away!
5. Pay Your Bills
Whether you have to pay your bills yourself, or they are on autopay, make sure they are all paid before you leave! If you have to physically pay a bill yourself then do it. If it is on autopay and will be debited from your account, make sure to budget for those amounts coming out of your account so you don’t overspend!
6. Arrange for Sitters
If you want someone to check on your house a few times during the week then reach out in advance so they can plan their schedule accordingly. If you want someone to pet sit, give plenty of notice so they can make personal arrangements as well. Or, if you need to board any animals, make sure you call your local shop ASAP. I’ve realized that these places usually fill up pretty quickly!
7. Prep A Freezer Meal
I feel like this one is the mother-load of all things prep before you leave! Making a meal (or even two) for your family that you can freeze and just have at the ready when you get home from vacation is so HUGE! You will have to unpack everything when you get home, and then do all of the laundry. I’m sure you do not want to worry about cooking at the same time!
8. Do All Dishes & Take Out the Trash!
First, go through your fridge. Either eat, or throw out any perishable food that will go bad while you are away. Make sure to do all of the dishes before you leave and empty all trash from the house. This will prevent bugs and flies and PLUS make it look nice for when you get home.
9. Check Your Yard
Make sure to either cover up or move any furniture and grills inside. Mow the lawn and take care of any lawn care and gardening that needs to get done.
10. Unplug Electronics
Unplugging any electronics and turning off any power strips will save you money and electricity.
11. Close Blinds & Lock Windows
I hate to say it, but this is something that I actually forget to do. It’s one thing when you are home, but there is something about locking everything up that would really make me feel more safe and that my home would be potentially harder to break into.
12. Set Up Automatic Email Responses
If you need to, make sure to set up an automatic email response to anyone that sends you an email notifying them that you are away and not checking your emails. This is important especially for business owners and anyone who gets important emails. Let them know you are not checking emails and who they may be able to reach out to instead in the mean time. If there is nobody else, then tell them when you will be back and when they may be expecting to hear from you again.
13. Clean Your Wallet & Purse
I CANNOT believe the amount of JUNK that accumulates in my wallet and purse on a regular basis. Ladies, am I right? The bigger the bag, the more room for junk. Be sure to go through these things before you leave on vacation so you are not carrying around any extra baggage. Who wants to carry a heavy purse all day anyways? Not this girl.
14. Do Laundry
That’s right. The never ending cycle of laundry. But please, make sure you do ALL of the laundry before you go on vacation. You will thank yourself when you get back!
15. Notify Your Banks
This is especially important if you plan on traveling out of the country. You will want to notify your cards and banks if you plan on using them out of the country so they don’t put a hold on your card thinking that it was stolen or hacked! I believe you can add this information right online, but I’ve never actually had to do this before! If someone knows for sure, please share in the comments! Thanks!
Tell Me:
Is there anything I missed that YOU do before you go on vacation? Tell me in the comments!