Five Things You Should Do Before You Leave on Vacation

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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’re 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’t be done if you’re rushing out the door.

Create a Budget

You spent lots of time finding the best deals on your vacation. You don’t 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’re gone, but money planning for a vacation means much more than that. It means contacting the bank to let them know you’re going out of town, paying all your bills so you don’t have to do it while you’re 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’re planning on traveling to another country for your vacation, it’s definitely worth your time to look into traveler insurance. It’s an especially good idea if you’ll 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’re Home

You don’t want thieves to see that you haven’t been home for days. It’s just asking for trouble. That’s why you should think about how you’re going to make it look like you’re home when you’re not.

A few ideas include:

·         Setting the lights to click on and off on a timer

·         Asking a friend or family member to pick up the mail

·         Prepay for home maintenance services, like snow plowing and mowing

·         Ask a neighbor to park their car in your driveway

Leave Facebook out of It

You’re excited to go on vacation, and you want to tell the world! That’s a bad idea.

If you spend a bunch of time to make it look like you’re home, but then you go on Facebook and tell everyone that you’ll 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’s especially the case if you have an extensive friend list that includes far-flung acquaintances, or if your profile isn’t set with the highest privacy settings.

Don’t 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’s 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’s 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:

·         All household appliances, like stoves, are off

·         Electronics, like blow dryers and computers, are unplugged

·         The gas and/or water is shut off

·         The windows are closed

·         The garbage has been taken out

·         The animals have been fed

·         The thermostat has been adjusted

·         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’t leave everything to the last minute when it’s 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’ll have a much more enjoyable vacation experience!