Checklist Before you Leave for a Trip
Whether you are going to be spending the weekend in the mountains or a few days at the beach, there are a few things necessary for all travellers.
Taking care on the home front is an important piece before you head out. Even if you will only be leaving a few days, it’s important to take care of some things before leaving.
- Confirm your reservations with any flights, buses, or accommodation a few days in advance.
- Arrange for pet care if you have animals that won’t be coming along.
- Unplug all appliances and turn up or down the heat so you won’t be losing so much money.
- Print any maps or directions you will take with you, along with a copy of all important documents and a first-aid kit.
- Get in touch with family, friends, or a neighbour to keep an eye on your house and water any plants.
- Ensure you are covered by health insurance. If you will be leaving the country on your trip this is especially important as some countries do not arrange care for foreigners and you may end up paying an extreme amount in case of emergency.
- Take care of your packing a few days in advance. This will ensure you aren’t scrambling at the last minute for essentials and when the time comes everyone is ready to go.
- Check the expiration dates of foods. If you will be gone for any decent length of time you will need to make sure these are finished off. Check especially: milk, bread, fruits and vegetables, any open boxes.
- Call your credit card/phone companies. Oftentimes, if your company sees your card being used outside your country of origin it will be shut down for protection. Don’t risk leaving yourself with no money outside of your country.
- ...and your postal service! Unless you will only be gone one or two days you will want to give a heads up to your postal service to stop delivering mail during that period.
- While there are surely other things you will need to personally take care of considering your circumstances before leaving, this basic checklist will serve as a guide for the majority of details that need covered.
