Five Things You Should Do Before You Leave on Vacation
You probably spent a lot of time planning your vacation. You spent hours on the computer researching hotels, looking for the best deal on flights, and activities to do once you get to your destination. How much sense does it make to pay such close attention to your destination, and yet, your whole family flies out the door at the last minute without any planning whatsoever!
You should be just as mindful about what you鈥檙e going to do before you leave on vacation as you are about the vacation itself. Here are five things you need to slow down and do before you leave that can鈥檛 be done if you鈥檙e rushing out the door.
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Create a Budget
You spent lots of time finding the best deals on your vacation. You don鈥檛 want all that hard work to go to waste by spending money willy-nilly when you get there.
You absolutely must create a budget for while you鈥檙e gone, but money planning for a vacation means much more than that. It means contacting the bank to let them know you鈥檙e going out of town, paying all your bills so you don鈥檛 have to do it while you鈥檙e gone, and choosing a money transfer service to use if you find yourself in a pinch and you have to ask a friend or a family member to send you some cash.
Consider Traveler Insurance
If you鈥檙e planning on traveling to another country for your vacation, it鈥檚 definitely worth your time to look into traveler insurance. It鈥檚 an especially good idea if you鈥檒l be spending a good chunk of time overseas.
You can find insurance policies that protect your family against lost luggage, flight mishaps, and of course, medical. This kind of insurance can ensure that you enjoy a relaxing vacation, and it can prevent you from having to spend tens of thousands of dollars on medical bills.
Figure out How to Make It Look like You鈥檙e Home
You don鈥檛 want thieves to see that you haven鈥檛 been home for days. It鈥檚 just asking for trouble. That鈥檚 why you should think about how you鈥檙e going to make it look like you鈥檙e home when you鈥檙e not.
A few ideas include:
路 Setting the lights to click on and off on a timer
路 Asking a friend or family member to pick up the mail
路 Prepay for home maintenance services, like snow plowing and mowing
路 Ask a neighbor to park their car in your driveway
Leave Facebook out of It
You鈥檙e excited to go on vacation, and you want to tell the world! That鈥檚 a bad idea.
If you spend a bunch of time to make it look like you鈥檙e home, but then you go on Facebook and tell everyone that you鈥檒l be gone, all that hard work will have been for nothing. Although it can keep strangers away from your home, the sad fact is, most people are burglarized by people they know. That鈥檚 especially the case if you have an extensive friend list that includes far-flung acquaintances, or if your profile isn鈥檛 set with the highest privacy settings.
Don鈥檛 mention anything about your travel plans before or during your trip. Instead, share pictures and talk about your adventure when you return home. That way it鈥檚 too late for burglars to sneak into your home and take off with all your stuff!
Walk Through the House
Do you suddenly become terrified the moment you drive out of town or sit on the plane because you wonder if you left the hair straightener on? If so, it鈥檚 probably because you rushed out the door without walking through the house first.
Plan 15 extra minutes right before you leave to walk through your house and check for things like whether or not:
路 All household appliances, like stoves, are off
路 Electronics, like blow dryers and computers, are unplugged
路 The gas and/or water is shut off
路 The windows are closed
路 The garbage has been taken out
路 The animals have been fed
路 The thermostat has been adjusted
路 The doors and windows have been locked
Making a list and checking everything off right before you leave is a great way to provide yourself with peace of mind so you can truly relax the moment you leave on vacation.
Don鈥檛 leave everything to the last minute when it鈥檚 time to go on vacation. Think through the ideas on this list to make sure everything is in order the moment you step foot out your front door and you鈥檒l have a much more enjoyable vacation experience!
