Your Pre-Travel Checklist

What do You Need to do BEFORE You Travel? Do you need a pre-travel checklist?

Do you ever feel like you’ve forgotten to do something before you leave for a trip? We’ve put together a checklist of what you need to do before you travel.

This pre-travel checklist is organized this by where these things happen so you can go from room to room before you go to make sure everything is done.

In the Digital World

• Buy Travel Insurance
• Hold the Mail
• Hold the Papers
• Check into Your Flight
• Alert your banks – some banks may freeze your card if you’re making charges out of the area. In fact, we’ve had a card frozen due to excessive gas purchases while on a road trip.

In the Kitchen

• Pack healthy snacks (non liquid) to travel with.
• Clean out the fridge and pantry. No one wants spoiled food to come home too.
• Run the dishwasher
• Unplug small appliances, saves electricity
• Set up a meal kit delivery for your destination or your return. If you prefer homecooked meals but want to shop when you get home, these are handy.
• Take out the trash

In the Living Room

• Adjust the thermostat – consider getting a programmable thermostat like a Nest
• Set lights on Autotimers – check out these smart plugs that you can control from anywhere.
• Unplug Televisions

In the Bedrooms & Bathrooms

• Check your prescriptions – do you have enough medicine to get you through.
• Wash Sheets and Make Beds – It’s nice to come home to a clean house.

In the Office

• Make document copies. Make copies of passports, credit cards, driver’s licenses, birth certificates.
• Print confirmations, or better yet put them in an app on your phone.
• Create a care plan for animals. Do you have pets? Will someone take care of them or are you boarding them? Make sure they have a care plan for the animals.
• Create a house-sitters guide – if someone is coming to house sit and water your plants, let them know what you expect.
• Charge electronics
• Check and Charge camera batteries
• Unplug computers

Outside

• Mow the lawn
• Lock the Garage/Shed/Barn
• Take the trash to the curb
• Lock the doors. Check to be sure back doors and windows are locked.

For the Flight or Road Trip

• Create your music playlist
• Download Audiobooks or check books out from the library
• Download movies to devices or your car DVD player.
• Plan Activities and Entertainment for the kids.

In Your Car for Road Trips

• Restock first aid kit.
• Get the vehicle checked if traveling by car. Check oil, fluids, tires.
• Wash and vacuum the car

Do you have a pre-travel checklist item that we’re missing? Email us and let us know!