Here is the list of things that you need to do before you leave your house for your vacation. 

Some of the tips here are simple hacks to save you some extra money while you’re not home, others are simple to-dos to ensure peace of mind.

None of the items on the checklist are trivial enough that you can just leave them out. Check them out and you’ll have a great trip, the one you have been eagerly waiting for.

The Ultimate Travel Checklist

Security Checklist

The security of your house when you are away is a big concern. After all, you wouldn’t want it to get robbed, would you? Therefore, it’s important that you ensure that your house is safe before you leave.

• Check that all the windows and the backdoor are properly locked. Cover the windows with drapes so no one can look inside.
• Cancel your subscriptions. Accumulating newspapers and mail is a sign that the person has gone away for a long time.
• Consider using a timer for night lamps to keep the house lit during night time. A completely darkened house suggests no presence inside the house.
• Have someone you trust to keep an eye on the house while you are away.
• If you use LPG or CNG, close the main valve.

IMPORTANT DOCUMENTS

There are a lot of papers that you need to keep with you while you travel. These include your passport, airline ticket, visa, medicine prescriptions etc.

• Get your passport, airline ticket, visa information and other travel related documents photocopied. Losing any of these documents can throw one into huge trouble.
• Take photos of your documents and medicine prescriptions and medicine labels on your phone.
• Keep your documents secure with you. At the last minute before leaving the house, check if you have them on you.
• Don’t keep them in a bag or a pocket that you will reach out quite often, as this will put them at a risk of falling out.

SUBSCRIPTIONS

As mentioned before, subscriptions should be canceled if you are planning to leave your house for several days. This doesn’t just help you save money, it also provides added plus point of security.

• Call your newspaper agency and have them pause the subscription for the number of days you will be out. In case you think you will be out for an uncertain number of days, figure out a maximum and pause for that amount of time. Even if you come back before that time, you can call them again and tell them to resume the service.
• If you have your groceries, milk or bread delivered to you on a daily basis, have them canceled. This would hint to burglars that you aren’t home, accumulate piles of rotten food and simply waste your money.
• Have your mail paused too. This will keep your important mail secure.

CREDIT CARDS

If your credit card is used from an unusual location, the credit card company assumes it has been stolen and refuses payment. Therefore, if you want to use your card from the place you are traveling, you should call your credit card service in advance from your residence. Tell them that you intend to travel and use your card from the new location. This will keep things easy.

Travel Packing Checklist

The most important issue that people face while traveling is that they pack improperly and forget some very essential things that they would need in their travel. Therefore, efficient packing is a must.

• Make a checklist a few days before you intend to pack. Enter all the things that you would need in this checklist. As time passes, you will remember more and more things. Therefore, when the time of packing comes, it won’t be in a rush and you will have everything you require.
• Remember to put essential things like socks, toothbrush, handkerchiefs and all the little things that people tend to usually forget.
• If you have prescription medicines, put them in.
• If you are asthmatic, remember to take your inhaler.
• Put in all your travel documents beforehand. Don’t put them in too deep as you would require to access them at the airport. Keep them in a side pocket.
• Remember to take your camera and phones.
• Last and the most important, take all the bags that you packed. Keep a count, and don’t miss any of it!

PETS & PLANTS

If you have potted plants or pets at home, you need to make sure they are fit and fine when you return.

• Ensure that you have your plants and lawn watered when you are away. Give this responsibility to someone you trust, as they would be having access to your house.
• Ensure that your pets get fed while you are away. This is very important, as starving them would be a cruel and harsh thing to do.
• If you have pets like dogs or cats, do not lock them up in a room. Make sure they get sufficient place to roam about.

PHONE AND EMAILS

It is hard to inform everyone in advance that you are planning to go away. Therefore, you need to make sure that the people you are trying to reach you get to know about it.

• Keep your emails on auto-answer. This will keep you from worrying about answering them.
• Record a voicemail message on your phone which lets people know that you are away and will not be back soon.
• In case you don’t want urgent information to be missed, provide them with a number to contact you in the case of very urgent matters.

ENERGY SAVING

If not taken care of nicely, the time that you are away can lead to wastage of a lot of water and electricity, which is not only an unethical thing to do from an energy point of view, but also will pile up your bills.

• Switch off all the light, fans, TV, computers, refrigerators and any other appliances that you might have. The ones like TV, computers, fridge etc. should be unplugged as well.
• Switch off the main water valve. If you cannot do that, at least turn off the water to your dishwasher, washing machine and other things that use a lot of water.
• Repair leaky faucets and faulty lines. You wouldn’t want a stream of water running everywhere when you get back home

MISCELLANEOUS

• Take out the garbage before you leave.
• If there is any leftover food, give it away, feed it to animals, or as the last resort, and throw it away.
• Pay the bills that might be due when you are away. This will save you from some fines and unnecessary hassles.
• Save urgent numbers like the medical help, friends, and family, airline contact number, emergency number etc. on your phone.
• Get ready to have a fun and tension-free vacation!

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May 3, 2016 12:00 am Published by Art Of Travel Leave your thoughts