If your next vacation is right around the corner, you might have been daydreaming about the amount of fun you will have. The excitement and thrill of a vacation is something else, especially if the wait for it has been long. Another exciting stage of pre-vacation is the packing process. From creating a checklist to going last minute shopping, there’s a lot to do before going on a holiday. While it may look fun from afar, as the travel dates get closer the same can feel a bit overwhelming.
To avoid last minute hiccups, we are here to help you ensure that everything is packed and ready before the day of your travel. You can use this as a guide to create your own list of things you need to plan for your next travel plan.
Making a to-do List
Initially, you’d be starting with making a list of things you will require during the trip, as well as, the arrangements you need to make at home when you’re away. So, before you impulsively start adding and checking things off your list, sit down and take time to add every last piece of thing that comes to your mind. Don’t be afraid of your list going from one page to four pages. The key is to identify what’s important and also how much time will each action take. Although it’s not a time-taking task as you might get done in less than 30 minutes, you can also carry the checklist around and fill it at your convenience if your travel plans are a month away.
To Do Checklist Ideas for Your Home Before Leaving
Here are some of the examples of what your checklist may look like if you are planning your house chores before leaving.
- Watering the plants – If you have plants in your house, leaving the house for a long time means coming back to dried up plants. If you have a neighbor you trust, you can either ask them to water your plants whenever possible, or you can install an automatic watering system that you can easily find on Amazon.
- Handle your Pet – In case you own a pet and you are not planning to take it along with you, you have to make prior arrangements. If your pets are going to be staying inside the house, you have to keep fresh water and food aside. Also, make sure that you keep a clean litter box. The next step is to hire a pet sitter and leave the right instructions to make it easy for the sitter to take care of your pets. You can also leave your pets at a boarding for animals.
- Do Laundry – Try to do laundry prior to your travel plans. It will help you get clean clothes for your trip as well as for the time you’re back.
- Clear the Pantry and Fridge – While you’re on your trip, you wouldn’t want your left-over vegetables and perishables to start rotting in the house. To avoid that, you can use whatever you can until the trip and toss the rest.
- Notify Card Companies – Before traveling, you would want to notify your card companies. It will help you while making international payments as many credit card companies tend to flag the card if sudden large payments are made in a foreign country.
These are a few tasks that should be on your list while leaving the home. It will ensure a stress-free trip where you don’t have to constantly worry about appliances, left-over food, or your pet. Another most important thing you might want to take care of is your car. If you will be driving to the airport, you might want to book long term airport parking to keep your vehicle safe and secure until you’re back.
To Do Checklist Ideas for Packing Essentials
Before packing your clothes and those new shoes, there are a few essentials you might want to consider.
- Hard Copies of Travel Documents – Make sure that you print out all the travel documents and information. While it’s good to have easy access to digital documents, it’s always great to be on the safe side and make a few print outs of travel documents. This may also include scanning passports, credit cards, or your driver’s license.
- Buy Travel Insurance – Travel insurance is a must have to avoid last minute hiccups in your travel like cancellation, lost bags, etc. You must consider purchasing travel insurance a day or two before your departure date. Make sure that you read through the entire document carefully to enjoy maximum benefits of the scheme.
- Get Your Medication and Prescription – If you have an ongoing prescription medication then you should get it before your trip. Keep your prescription documents safely with you as you might be required to show them at certain airports and countries.
- Withdraw Necessary Cash – You may also require some cash for your trip. Make sure that you withdraw enough cash, especially small bills.
To Do Checklist Ideas for Travel Bag
Once the above checklist is taken care of, you can move to your travel bag. Here are a few things you can keep in mind while packing your bag for your next vacation.
- Start with Clothing – The first thing that you might be excited about is packing those new dresses or clothes that you recently bought. Well, you can start with that. Pack some daily outfits, night wear, party wear, innerwear, and appropriate shoes. In case you are going to a cold place, pack a good jacket and thermal wear.
- Pack the Right Accessories –Keep essential accessories and toiletry like a good hat, towel, deodorants, sanitary pads, shampoo, moisturizer, sunscreen, tissues, sunglasses, trimmer, and anything else that crosses your mind.
- Keep Health and Safety Kits – Keep some items that may help you during an emergency. For instance, medicines, painkillers, mosquito repellent, safety locks, offline maps and guides, air tags to track luggage, and some snacks.
- Don’t forget the important stuff – While packing for the safety and clothing essentials, you should also consider electronics like cellphone and laptop chargers, universal adapters, camera, a book, emergency cash, and maybe a sling bag.
- A Picture of the bag – Once you have packed the bag and everything is where it needs to be, you must take a picture of it. This can help you in case your bag is stolen or has been opened without your permission.
Bonus Checklist Ideas Before Your Holiday
In case you have some extra space and want to make your travel comfortable, you can check off these items before your next holiday.
- Reusable Water Bottle – While it’s great to drink water from many places, it’s not necessary to buy a new bottle for every time you are thirsty. You can just carry a reusable water bottle which can come really handy on holiday. You can add this in your shopping to-do list.
- Create a Realistic Itinerary – It’s important to create an itinerary that aligns with your family’s interest. Even if you are traveling alone, you must add the right activities and tours that you can actually go for every day. Keep some extra time to relax and enjoy the beauty of the place.
- Web Check-in – Don’t forget to do web check-in as it can help you in going through the airport process faster.
- Secure Your House – If you are going away for long, you must ensure your house is secure. You can either give your house keys to your neighbor and entrust them with the safety of your home or you can install burglar devices for precautions.
Conclusion
The above mentioned to-do things are some of the essentials to add to your pre-holiday preparation checklist. You can ensure a stress-free holiday by taking care of these small things. The key is to start early so that you have plenty of time to check off things in your to-do list and have less packing anxiety as the travel dates get closer.