Helpful Things to do Before Traveling

Before traveling, I try to make a list of what to do to prepare for my trip and to prepare for when I come home. I like to make sure I put a hold on my mail so that way, my mail doesn’t just sit inside my mailbox until I come home to get it. Before a long trip, I log into my account on the United States Postal Service’s website and put a hold on my mail so it is all delivered on the day I return home.

I also make sure that I set up lights in our front room to go on during the evenings to indicate to outsiders that someone is home, even though someone isn’t actually home. We found some lights that we can activate through a phone app to turn on when we are not home. This gives us some security and peace of mind.

I like to make certain that we have enough food in the house when we return. Usually this means having a frozen pizza in the freezer since bread and milk would most likely spoil while we are on our trip. I then try to have a grocery list ready to go so when we get back, we can just take the list to the store and buy what we need.

I also try to get as much laundry done as possible before leaving. Sometimes, I like to wash things that need to air dry. That way, it can air dry while I am gone and not needing to use it like rugs and robes.

In addition, I put travel alerts on my debit cards. I can log into my online account and notify my bank that I will be traveling internationally, so they know if I use my debit card in a foreign country, it won’t raise a red flag.

I let my parents and my in-laws know about our travel plans giving them our flight numbers and flight times, as well as the address and phone number of our hotel. That way, if there is an emergency, they know when we will be in the air and where to contact us once we have landed.

I find that all of these tasks help make my travel go easier and help me feel more relaxed. What are your helpful tips for what you do before traveling?