Headed out on a trip or vacation this summer? Here’s my handy dandy checklist of everything you should remember to do before you leave on an extended trip:
Let Your Bank Know You Are Travelling: If you are travelling out of state- and ESPECIALLY- if you are travelling out of the country, you should alert your bank of the dates that you will be out of your normal area.(My bank had a feature for this online!) To protect your account from theft, they could put a stop on your account if they see a bunch of unusual activity. And no one wants to deal with that when you’re just trying to get another margarita at the poolside bar.
Hold Your Mail: Help out your mail carrier and let the post office know to hold your mail ahead of your trip. He/she will thank you for saving them from stuffing a week’s worth of mail into your tiny mailbox. You can do it online-right from USPS.com. Simple and easy!
Refill Your Prescriptions: Plan ahead of time to have enough of your regular prescriptions to last you while you are away. You may need to contact your insurance if you need to get a prescription outside of your normal schedule, so make sure you do this two weeks ahead of time or so and don’t have to rush.
Share Your Travel Arrangements: Send digital copies of all of your travel arrangements to someone you trust. In the case of an emergency, someone back home should have all of your travel information, just in case. For bigger trips, be sure to include pictures of your ID and passport as well. I use good ol’ mom for this one if my husband and I are travelling together.
Clear Off Your Devices: The last thing you need is to be posing for the typical tourist photo in front of the Eiffel Tower with the stranger that you nervously asked to take your photo shouting from a distance; “It says you don’t have any more photo storage!” Cringe. Clean off your phone, camera, iPad, etc. before you leave so that you can take all of the vacation photos that you want with no problem.
Pack Your Carry-on: My strategy to packing my carry-on is essentially this: pack for the worst case scenario of your checked luggage getting lost. Anything that you couldn’t easily replace, like prescription glasses and meds, should be in your carry-on bag so that they don't get lost or damaged. I also pack a change of clothes, deodorant, my makeup and toiletries in my carry-on so that I can at least freshen up if I am without my checked bag for a day or two- which has LITERALLY happened to me- twice. Trust me on this one.
Close windows/doors: Before you leave the house for the last time, run a sweep through your entire space and lock your windows and doors. Be sure to check the garage and basement, too! Safety first!
Prevent Smells: No one wants to come home to a stinky mess after a long day of travel. Be sure to clear out your fridge, unload your dishwasher, and take out all of your trash so there’s nothing funky sitting alone in your house all week while you are gone.
Check Your Thermostat: Make sure that your thermostat is set to keep the house at room temperature while you are gone, otherwise your house could be overheating or freezing while you aren’t home to check it.
Wash Your Sheets: This one is definitely not necessary, but there’s something really comforting about coming home to a clean set of sheets on the first night you’ll be back in your own bed.
Where are you headed this summer? Comment below!
Hey, I’m Meghan
I’m here sharing content all about pursuing your own version of more and loving how you feel doing it. If that sounds good to you, stick around and let’s be friends!
