Planning Your Next Vacation

There are so many things to remember when getting reading for a vacation. Deciding on the vacation location and actually being there is the fun part; getting ready for it and coming home from it can be a chore. Here are some tips for an organized departure and return:

Things to Do Before Packing

  1. Do laundry.
  2. Purchase food, toiletries (don’t forget the sunscreen), disposable camera and/or film.
  3. Make arrangement for: pet care, watering of plants, mail pickup (or stop mail: www.usps.com), stop newspaper.
  4. It’s a good idea to leave a spare key with a neighbor or friend with an itinerary of where you will be and how you can be reached. Ask the neighbor to place trash in your garbage cans and place them at the curb on collection day.
  5. Consider obtaining “call forwarding” service for your phone.
  6. Some police have a “vacation home check” program. Contact your local police to see if they have such a program.
  7. Have your lawn maintained: watered and cut.
  8. If traveling by car, get auto serviced and fill with gasoline. If flying, put a copy of your itinerary in luggage, and put your tickets in your planner, purse, or carry-on bag.

Things to Pack

  1. Using your itinerary, plan outfits for each outing. If there won’t be laundry facilities, pack an outfit for each day and include one swimsuit and a sweatshirt or sweater. Pack clothing in Space-Bag Storage Packs, purchased from Wal-Mart or The Container Store. These storage bags allow you to roll the air out of the bags, which allows three times as much clothing in one suitcase. They are also great for packing the dirty clothes when it’s time to go home!
  2. Pack medications for all family members, including a pain reliever, in the carry-on bag. If you have young children, pack a thermometer, as well, and a first-aid kit.
  3. Your carry-on bag or purse should contain tickets and passports.
  4. If you have young children, pack a separate bag to include: change of clothing, diapers and wipes, quiet toys, snacks, pacifier and/or bottle, and ready-to-feed cans of formula or beverage.
  5. Don’t forget to pack a camera and/or video equipment.

Night Before

  1. Make a pot of coffee if you have an automatic coffee maker.
  2. Lay out clothes for next day.
  3. Water plants.
  4. Clean litter box if you have a cat.
  5. Set timers on lights and the TV so it appears someone is home.
  6. If you receive regular email from groups such as Freecyle, change your settings so the email is held. Set an “away” message on your computer.
  7. If you’ll be gone for more than four weeks, empty and clean the refrigerator. Turn off the refrigerator and prop open the door to prevent mildew from forming.

Day of Departure

  1. If you are leaving your pet(s) home, make sure they have plenty of food and water.
  2. If you aren’t leaving pets home and if nothing will suffer heat damage, turn your heat pump or air conditioner off. If you would like to leave it on, consider setting the thermostat to 85-90 degrees.
  3. Close curtains and/or blinds so a potential burglar can’t see inside the house.
  4. Turn the water heater off at the circuit breaker or fuse box.
  5. Turn off waterbed heaters.
  6. Run dishwasher so you won’t return to a smelly load of dirty dishes.
  7. Make beds and tidy up before leaving so you don’t come home to a messy house.

When You Return

  1. Run water from the hot water faucet to be certain the heater still has water in it, before turning on the circuit breaker or fuse.
  2. Turn on the air conditioner.
  3. Unpack the car as soon as you get home and start doing a load of laundry.
  4. Call your neighbor or friend to tell him you are home.
  5. Print a copy of this article and put it in your suitcase for your next trip!

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