It’s that time of year when families or loved ones leave town for lengthy break vacations. Fixing the house before going on a vacation is a vital thing to do. Most often, we get to spend a larger part of our time packing our luggage and driving to the airport that we overlook certain significant things that we really should do before leaving the house.
To guarantee you have a cheery vacation as well as homecoming, we have amassed a list of tips you should do before going on a vacation.
- Recruit House Watchers and Arrange an Accommodation for your Pets
Whether it’s a neighbour, a house sitter, or a friend you recruited, have someone keep their peepers on your house periodically and help keep your surroundings clean. You’re bound to still get a visitor or a surprise delivery on your doorstep, so find a nice person that will grab those for you. Having someone keep their eye on your property helps to avoid fishy movements.
You should also organize for your pets to stay with friends or family, or arrange for a pet sitter to come by.
2. Let Your Bank Know you are Going on a Vacation
This should be one of your topmost priorities before travelling. Per the security arrangements of some banks, it would be best for you to call and inform them about your travel arrangements. You want to make sure that your credit card is loaded with enough funds and will function whiles you’re travelling. I forgot to do it once and it was not fun at all! Your bank may be aligned with a foreign bank that grants access to free cash withdrawals.
3. Pay Off your Bills Before you Leave
If your bills are not already programmed for automatic payments, make sure to pay off any remaining balances before leaving. You don’t want to get back home to any needless little late fees or even worse having utilities turned off.
4. Make Sure you have Adequate Travel Insurance for your Trip
It’s imperative to confirm that your travel insurance will offer the required coverage for your trip – just in case. If you’re arranging to rent a car, ensure that your driver’s license is valid at your destination.
5. Ensure you Have Enough Medication
If you or anybody in your family is on any medication, confirm you have adequate medication to last the whole journey. When preparing the house for a lengthy holiday trip remember to book for extra days or arrange with your doctor if you require a new script. Such things take days to be prepared, so don’t leave it to the last minute!
6. Make Copies of Important Travel Documents
Take photocopies of all your important travel documents like our passport and any paper tickets you may have. Better still scan the photocopies and either send yourself an email or pop it into Dropbox or somewhere similar that you will have access to while you are on vacation.
If anything, happen during your trip you will have access to important numbers and identification of some kind.
7. Update your Calendar and Create an Automatic E-mail Response
Make sure any appointments or commitments that have been scheduled during your trip are either taken care of before you leave or rescheduled for a later date. It’s also important to create an “out of office” email to let others know that you will be out of town.
8. Clean Out Your Refrigerator
Don’t forget to add this one to your to-do list before travelling! You don’t want to come home to off milk or mouldy leftovers. So, throw out any food that will go off while you are away or give it to family and friends. Also, make a plan to use your food and drink during the week before leaving. Eat up any food that will expire or perish before your trip to prevent waste and unpleasant smells.
9. Clean your Bathroom and Wash your Bed Sheets Before your Leave
This may sound silly, but trust me on this one! There is nothing like coming home to a spotless bathroom and freshly washed bedsheets after travelling.
10. Turn Off Water Supply and Dispose of Every Rubbish and Clean Bins
Cutting off the main water supply is recommended to prevent leaks and flooding. However, there’s some debate on this, depending on your appliances and how they respond. Of course, leave the water on if you need to irrigate the garden or if house-sitters need water for say, the toilet.
Make sure food isn’t sitting stagnant in the garbage disposal. I like to toss in a couple of ice cubes and some lemon juice to clean the blades. Then, some baking soda and vinegar will make a nice fizzy cleaner for the sides. Be sure to clean that rubber strainer between the sink and disposal, too!
You don’t want to come home to overflowing bins so ensure you put out your rubbish bins for collection day before you leave.
We hope you enjoyed our post on vacation planning. We understand that planning a vacation can be stressful, but we hope that we put your mind at ease by sharing our knowledge. If you have any questions about planning a vacation or any other topic, please contact us anytime at ___. Thanks for reading!
