Preparing Your Home Before You Leave: What To Do Before Your Vacation

Going on a trip? Prepare your home before you leave, so you can enjoy your vacation without worries.

Worrying about the home you left behind is one of the major factors that can ruin a vacation. So before you leave, make sure you straighten things out so that you will not have to worry about anything.

Weeks Counting Down to Your Trip

Leave the right message on the machine. If you’re going to be away for a long time, consider subscribing to a special mail service; ask your phone company if they offer one. If you get a lot of messages, your answering machine might not be able to handle all of them.
Call all deliveries and cancel them for as long as you are gone.
If you are subscribed to an alarm company, let them know about your travel plans. Give them a list of the people that are allowed to enter your home while you’re away and provide them with a way to contact you.
Check all the equipment in your home, such as heaters, refrigerators, and pumps. Check if their alarms are working properly and make sure they are set to send alarms to the right people in case of emergency.
For long vacations, pay your bills before you leave.
Get in touch with your credit card companies and let them know where you’re going, so they will recognize all unusual charging or a series of frequent purchases within your travel period.
Provide trusted relatives or friends with a key to your home, your itinerary, and important phone numbers.
If you have a pet, make sure to arrange for someone who will take care of it while you’re gone.
Clarify your health insurance coverage for traveling and make sure to keep a copy of your policy in your travel documents.
On medication? Buy enough for the whole trip. Make sure to bring your prescriptions, though, not only for medications but also for your RX eyeglasses or contact lenses.
Arrange for lawn mowers, gardeners, and snow removal staff to continue working even while you’re gone. If you have plants inside your home, move them to an outdoor location where the gardener can care for them even without entering your home. An unattended house can attract a lot of attention.
Put all important things in a safety deposit box.
Contact your mobile phone carrier and make sure to have your plan set to an international plan. Ask them about additional charges and any changes in the charging scheme if you call or send messages while you’re in another country.
Make copies of all your travel documents such as passports, VISAs, insurance cards, driver’s license, tickets, itinerary, and so on.

Before You Walk Out the Door

Check all doors, windows, and locks. If some of them needs to be repaired, do so before you leave.
If you have an electric door in your garage, use the manual lock. Some electric doors can sometimes be opened by electronic devices.
Unplug all home electronics and devices. Disconnect your Internet connection.
Check your refrigerator and get rid of all perishable food items.
Shut off the water lines to your washing machines and dishwashers. Make sure these appliances are shut off before you leave the house.
Turn off your stove, oven, coffeemaker, toaster, water and ice dispenser, and so on.

This travel checklist can help you make the most out of your trip.